Two fires occurred in Pearl River County Wednesday night.

One of those fires involved three Picayune Fire Department trucks responding to a fire at 6 p.m. about 400 feet from the Knights of Columbus Hall, said Picayune Fire Department Secretary Janet Guidry.

Guidry said an old shed in a densely wooded area had caught fire and was almost completely burned down when the trucks arrived. The trucks were unable to reach the structure due to the dense woods.

Smoke from the burning shed could be seen over Picayune Wednesday night.

Due to their inability to reach the fire with hoses and equipment, the firefighters decided to let the shed to burn until it went out on its own, Guidry said. She said members of the fire department checked on the fire throughout the night to make sure all flames were extinguished.

At 10:35 p.m., Carriere Volunteer Fire Department responded to the second fire at 261 Rayburn Rd. in Carriere, said Pearl River County Fire Marshal Albert Lee.

Lee said Southeast, Pine Grove and McNeill Volunteer Fire Departments provided mutual aid, arriving by 10:48 p.m.

It was first believed someone was still in the structure when the fire departments responded, Lee said. He said it was later discovered that the only occupant had escaped by kicking out the air conditioning unit.

Lee said no one was injured, but three dogs and a cat were lost to the fire.

“The structure was fully involved upon the arrival of the first units,” Lee said.

Along with response from the local volunteer fire departments, the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department and Lee responded to the scene.

The cause of the fire was ruled as accidental due to an electrical malfunction and it is currently unknown if there was a fire alarm inside the residence, Lee said.