Fire destroys house near Sedgewickville on Friday morning

Fred Lynch [Order this photo]

Firefighters from Sedgewickville, Millersville, North Bollinger and Marble Hill fire districts responded to a fire at the home of Paula Bright just after 7 a.m. Friday, about four miles east of Sedgewickville, Mo. on Bollinger County Road 224. The fire apparently started in the utility room, according to her son, Steven H. Bright. He said his mother had left for work about 10 minutes earlier before he noticed smoke through a bathroom window. He alerted his two sisters, Rachel and Breanna, to get out of the house. They drove to a neighbor's house who called 911. Steven Bright said they were getting ready for school at Meadow Heights and that the clothes dryer was running when the fire was discovered. The house was a total loss. Cheryl Klueppel, executive director of the Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross, said the family said they did not need assistance from the organization.