Dewayne Bennett, a well-known supporter of the Covington High School football program for many years, died Sunday afternoon in a Fayette County house fire.
According to Oakland Fire Chief Stephen Walls, firefighters responded to a single-story house hire at 495 Terry Rd. in Oakland that was called in at 3:26 p.m.
Emergency personnel made the scene two minutes later and found “heavy smoke coming out of the front of the house.”
Walls said the fire was under control in less than a minute and they found Bennett, 67, inside.
The chief said it was Oakland’s first fire fatality in several years. The cause of the fire is under investigation and Bennett was the only person in the house.
Bennett had two sons who were standout athletes at Covington High School.
Hunter Bennett was the the starting quarterback for the Chargers in the mid-1990s and also played baseball. Taylor Bennett was a heavily-recruited pitcher for the Charger baseball team who signed with Mississippi State.
Dewayne’s daughter, Danielle Wheeler, is married to Marty Wheeler, the Covington High football coach from 2009 to 2018.
Dewayne was a longtime member of the Covington Gridiron Association, the booster club for the Covington High School football program.
Funeral services will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at Maley-Yarbrough Funeral Home.
