Man dies in trailer fire; blaze was deliberately set

A Puxico, Missouri, man died of smoke inhalation from during a trailer fire near Zalma, Missouri, just before midnight Thursday on Highway 51 near the Stoddard County border, Bollinger County Coroner Charles Hutchings said.

Hutchings identified the man as Christopher Jones, 34, after an autopsy Friday afternoon.

The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office determined during its investigation the fire was deliberately set, according to public information officer Mike O’Connell.

The Bollinger County Sheriff’s Department is handling the criminal investigation.

Zalma firefighters responded to the blaze the Duck Creek Conservation area, according to Marble Hill, Missouri, assistant fire chief Calvin Troxell.

The body of Jones was recovered from the trailer about 3 a.m., and he was pronounced dead at that time, Troxell said.

Pertinent address:

Highway 51, Zalma, MO