Entire Poplar Bluff Fire Department called out for apartment blaze

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Firefighters battled a massive blaze at a North Main Street apartment complex Thursday night in which a number of families lost everything, including their homes.

The call for the apartment building at 1113 N. Main St. came in at 8 p.m., according to battalion chief Mike Moffitt, who described the building, owned by Costas Papanicolaou, as having 12 apartments on multiple levels. "As soon as I arrived on the scene, I called for a nine-man call back.

"About 10 minutes later, we called for a full call back, which would be our entire department."

Moffitt said additional personnel were needed due to the large size of the building and because "the fire had advanced already."

When firefighters arrived, Moffitt said, they saw smoke and flames and learned from a police officer already on the scene that everyone in the apartments had been accounted for.

The fire, he said, had not broken through the building's roof at that point; however, it later did.

"There were two layers of wooden decks built around it; the [decks] were like kindling," Moffitt said. "The rear deck had already collapsed by the time I got on the scene, which made it difficult to access the heaviest fire."

Firefighters, Moffitt said, initially began an exterior attack "until we got the fire knocked down [and] it was safe for us to enter."

It is believed the fire started in the bedroom area of a basement apartment, Moffitt said. The apartment reportedly was occupied by David Bird.

The fire "spread to almost all the other apartments before it was over," with the exception of one or two, which only had smoke and water damage, Moffitt said.

The fire, Moffitt said, also melted the siding on the house next door at 1103 N. Main St.

The cause of the fire, according to Moffitt, has been ruled accidental, "more than likely [caused by] smoking materials."

As firefighters battled the fire, Poplar Bluff police officers set up a perimeter around the building, closing portions of several streets, including Harper, Main and Mill.

"We were on the scene until about 3 o'clock this morning," said Moffitt, who described the apartment building as "still standing," but "most likely burned beyond repair."

Jason Dunn with the State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating, along with the fire department's investigators, Moffitt said.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross, Southern Missouri Region, responded and worked with nine people who were displaced by the fire.

"We are thankful for the valuable partnership with members of the community, such as Heartland Family Center, who worked with us on housing four of the families in their transitional housing," said Gail Tinsley, Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteer in Butler County.

Pertinent address:

Poplar Bluff, MO