Firefighters cool down Santie fire, start investigation

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston Department of Public Safety personnel remained on the scene Tuesday after battling a fire in what felt like triple-digit heat Monday.

Although the fire continued to flare up Monday night and again Tuesday morning, an investigation began into the origin of the blaze, which broke out about 9:35 a.m. Monday in a propane storage area at Santie Oil Co., 126 Larcel Drive.

Sikeston Department of Public Safety director Drew Juden said the fire did not appear to be suspicious.

Juden said personnel were working in the area when the fire broke out. All workers were able to leave the building safely, however.

As the fire moved through the building, it ignited propane canisters, causing explosions that continued to fuel the blaze. The fire caused parts of some containers to become projectiles, flying hundreds of feet in the air. Some even crossed U.S. 60 and landed in a field near Wal-Mart.

Several large propane and gasoline storage tanks caused concern for officers, who evacuated nearby businesses and kept water on the tanks to keep them cool. The blaze also prompted the Missouri State Highway Patrol to shut down parts of U.S. 60 and U.S. 61.

Three firefighters were overcome by the heat and treated at the scene. One had fluids administered by emergency medical personnel at the scene.

A firefighter injured while setting up a generator for a cooling station was taken to a hospital, DPS Capt. Bill Mygatt said, but it was only to check an injury to a finger.

Zak Haskin, field training officer for Sikeston DPS, was one of the first officers to get to the fire. He arrived on the scene along with the first firetruck about 9:40 a.m. Monday.

"I followed the on-duty crew out there, and by the time I got out there, the building was already burning to the point where everybody had backed off for the moment," Haskins said.

At that point, firefighters couldn't do anything to stop the blaze. Because they knew no one was inside the building and no one was injured, firefighters were able to take in the scene, Haskin said.

"You see that stuff on TV all the time, so to see it in person for what it was, it was neat -- a once-in-a-lifetime thing you will see," Haskin said.

Mygatt agreed.

"It was kind of exciting, all those tanks exploding," Mygatt said.

The fire also became a safety issue for those who were near it, Haskin said.

"We kept moving back and were right across the street. Tank debris kept popping off and landing closer to us and moved us back to different locations to where we finally wound up," Haskin said.

Once the explosions stopped, it became a matter of trying to cool everything down, Haskin said.

"You can't get up too close with that, either," Haskin said.

Santie Oil Co. is a distributor for companies such as Chevron/Texaco.

Pertinent address:

126 Larcel Drive, Sikeston, Mo.