A fire at a hunting camp near Evergreen, Alabama, has taken the lives of two University of Alabama students. The blaze broke out around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday at a hunting camp in Conecuh County, where four fraternity brothers from Delta Kappa Epsilon were staying.
Two of the young men managed to escape the flames and were taken to a hospital. Authorities have said they are expected to survive, though the extent of their injuries has not been made public.
Mostellar and Hensley were not as fortunate. Both were trapped inside the structure and pronounced dead at the scene by the Conecuh County Coroner’s Office. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Two Standout Athletes From Mobile
Both young men were business majors at UA and members of the same fraternity. They also shared roots in the Mobile area, though they came up through rival high schools. Hensley graduated from St. Paul’s Episcopal School, where he was a two-way standout, starting at wide receiver and also playing safety his senior year.
Mostellar graduated from UMS-Wright Preparatory School, where he competed across multiple sports, including football, lacrosse, and track.
Coaches from both schools have spoken about the impact the two had on the people around them. St. Paul’s head football coach, Ham Barnett, who coached Hensley through high school, said the news left him shaken and that Hensley had a quiet drive that never needed to be pushed.
Former UMS-Wright head coach Terry Curtis remembered Mostellar as someone who was always smiling and well-liked by everyone on campus, from classmates to teachers to coaches.
Friends and former teammates have flooded social media with tributes since the news broke, remembering both young men as the kind of people who made others feel special and were quick to treat everyone with respect. St. Paul’s shared a message on Facebook reflecting on how fragile life can be in moments of sudden loss.
Celebration of Life Set for Next Week
A Celebration of Life for Hensley has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 7, at Dauphin Way United Methodist Church in Mobile. The family will receive visitors in the Parish Hall starting at 10 a.m., with the service beginning at 11 a.m.
Instead of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to the St. Paul’s Episcopal School Foundation in Hensley’s memory or to Dauphin Way United Methodist Church.
Coach Barnett said the St. Paul’s football team is already discussing ways to honor Hensley heading into the upcoming season. Both communities, in Mobile and at the University of Alabama, are continuing to mourn the sudden loss of two young men described by those who knew them as kind, driven, and deeply loved.
