2 College Students Die in Fire While on Hunting Trip with Frat Brothers
7/2/2026
Two University of Alabama college students were killed in a fire while on a hunting trip with two fraternity brothers, who were able to escape.
The incident happened on Wednesday, July 1, about 1:30 a.m. local time, at a home located off Stowers Timberland Road in Evergreen, Ala., the Conecuh County Coroner’s Office said in a release.
Officials said there were four people inside the residence at the time of the blaze. Two of them were able to flee and were transported for treatment for their injuries.
“Tragically, two occupants succumbed to injuries sustained in the fire and were pronounced deceased at the scene,” the coroner’s office said.
The two deceased victims were identified as James Hensley II, 19, and Mark Mostellar, 21, both of Mobile, the agency added.
The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation by the Conecuh County Coroner’s Office, the Evergreen Police Department and the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office, officials said.
“Out of respect for the families involved and to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional information is being released at this time,” the Evergreen Police Department said in a social media post on Wednesday. “Further updates will be provided as they become available.”
“The Evergreen Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected by this tragic loss,” the statement continued.
Hensley and Mostellar’s LinkedIn profiles indicated they were business majors at the University of Alabama and members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, AL.com reported.
Mostellar, Hensley and their two fraternity brothers took a trip to the hunting camp, according to CBS affiliate WKRG.
Terry Curtis, a former head football coach at UMS-Wright Preparatory School, remembered Mostellar, an alum who once played for the team as an outside linebacker.
“McNeil asked a lot of questions, and when he first started asking, I thought he was trying to be funny and cute and make a joke out of something or whatever,” Curtis told WKRG. “But as he became a good football player, he was asking questions to help make him a better player.”
Hensley was a graduate of St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Mobile, AL.com reported. The school held a vigil on Wednesday in his memory.
When reached by PEOPLE on Thursday, July 2, a spokesperson for the University of Alabama wrote, “The University of Alabama community mourns alongside loved ones of students James Walter Hensley and Mark Mostellar. University staff are contacting their families, fraternity and other impacted students. Counseling and support resources are available to students through the Office of Student Care and Well Being at 205-348-2461 or bamacares@ua.edu.”