<p>Jim Townsend says many Alpha Tau Omega fraternity members have thanked him for his son having saved lives during Friday's fire that gutted the ATO house on the campus of the University of Mississippi.</p><p>William "Will" Townsend was one of three fraternity members who died in the fire. Funeral services for Townsend will be Monday at First United Methodist Church in Clarksdale.</p><p>Fraternity members have praised the 19-year-old for waking up students and getting them out. He reportedly died when he went back in looking for two others.</p><p>Also killed were Howard Stone, 19, of Martinsville, Va., and Jordan Williams, 20, of Atlanta. All three were sophomores.</p><p>Preliminary autopsy reports show all three died of smoke inhalation.</p><p>Jim Townsend, vice president and trust officer at First National Bank of Clarksdale, said his son also helped the house mother escape safely.</p><p>Beverly Thomas, the student's geometry teacher at Lee Academy, said Will Townsend never hesitated to help others.</p><p>"Will was a special kid. In addition to being very intelligent, he was so much fun to be around," Thomas said. "He was one of the most liked fellas in the class. You are not going to find anyone who didn't like him."</p><p>A memorial service was held Sunday in Martinsville for Stone, whose parents are Circuit Court Judge Charles M. Stone and Nancy Stone.</p><p>Howard Stone, who graduated in 2003 from Martinsville High School, was a three-year starting defender on three Region IV championship varsity soccer teams and was a reserve on the basketball team.</p><p>"He was just a super kid, just a stellar kid," said high school principal Tom Fitzgibbons.</p><p>On the Ole Miss campus, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the state Fire Marshal's Office completed their on-scene investigation and determined the point of origin.</p><p>Millard D. Mackey, state chief deputy fire marshal, said Saturday the fire started in a basement bedroom, on the south side of the structure along the east wall. Despite the appearance of the house, Mackey said investigators expect that some of the members living there will be able to retrieve some of their belongings once the building has been inspected by insurance agents.</p><p>The fire was confined mostly to the basement area, which housed student bedrooms, and the roof of the house, he said. Only three or four of the rooms sustained major damage, he said. The fire destroyed the roof of the house.</p><p>The official cause of the fire is still undetermined, pending the outcome of tests on evidence taken from the fire scene as well as further interviews, said Mark Chait, Special Agent in charge of the New Orleans ATF office.</p><p>Foul play is not expected, and a party held in the house on the night of the fire is not a major focus of the investigation, Mackey said.</p><p>"We don't believe that to be a contributing factor," Mackey told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal newspaper.</p><p>Mackey said the investigation has revealed possible multiple sources of ignition where the fire started. He said that can occur with different types of electrical appliances, hookups or even computers.</p><p>Some of the evidence taken for testing, he said, will be examined by electrical engineers.</p><p>Officials will not know if alcohol played any role in the incident until toxicology results come back from the state Crime Lab.</p><p>In the meantime, the close-knit university and community are mourning. A campus memorial service will be held in a few days, Chancellor Robert Khayat said Friday.</p><p>Large black ribbons have been tied around the columns of the campus' fraternity and sorority houses. A candlelight vigil was held outside the ATO house on Friday night.</p>
