According to a News Release from the Louisiana State Fire Marshall, investigators are looking into whether unattended cooking may have led to a house fire at 1314 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive just after 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night.  Investigators were dispatched to the scene and while conducting suppression efforts, firefighters discovered the body of 55-year-old Jessie Bias in the living room of the wood-framed structure, which suffered heavy interior damage as a result of the fire.

After being examined by investigators, the victim's body was released to the Evangeline Parish Coroner for autopsy.

While no official determination has been made as to what caused the fire, investigators have established that the fire originated on the stove in the kitchen where melted remnants of a cooking pot were discovered.  The investigation into the fire continues.

Jessie was cherished by his fellow classmates from Ville Platte High Class of 1981.  According to Landreneau & Associates in Ville Platte, Mr. Bias had been employed with their firm since 2014 as an inspector on engineering projects in and around Ville Platte and Evangeline Parish.