Firefighters battle same blaze twice in Perry County

No one was injured, but firefighters had to battle the same blaze twice after a Tuesday evening fire reignited Wednesday morning at a house in Perry County, Missouri.

Bill Jones, assistant chief of the Perryville Fire Department and Perry County Rural Fire Protection District, said no one was hurt in what started as a grease fire but spread quickly to the attic of the house in the 2200 block of Route B about two miles outside Perryville, Missouri, city limits.

Jones said a vent over the kitchen stove directed the fire into the attic, where dry lumber and a breeze blowing through the vents helped feed it.

"It's a very rich environment as far as fuel's concerned," Jones said.

After igniting the kitchen cabinets, the blaze spread into the living-room and dining-room area, which had what Jones called an "open-type floorplan."

Exacerbating the problem was the home's "heavy fuel load," he said.

The floor burned through and collapsed, dropping the entire contents of the first floor onto the contents of the basement, Jones said.

"We went from a first-floor fire to an attic fire and also a basement fire, all at the same time," he said.

The collapsing floors kept firefighters from entering the building, Jones said.

"We had extinguished the fire to the point where really, we didn't see anything else, but really, [with] a fire of that magnitude and stuff falling down, compacting ... it's not overly surprising to get a rekindle," he said.

When fire chief Jeremy Triller drove out to check on the house just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, he saw moderate gray smoke coming from what was left of the structure and called for two engines, Jones said.

Within five minutes, the fire was burning through the roof again, he said.

"At that point, the floors really started collapsing," Jones said. "The walls that were still standing were simply hanging there."

He said the only casualties were two pet snakes that likely perished. The house was insured, and its three occupants and their dog escaped safely, Jones said.

The Biehle, Missouri, Fire Protection District provided mutual aid to Perryville and Perry County, which Jones said share personnel.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

2200 block Route B, Perryville, Mo.