Three people injured in Columbia house fire

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Two good Samaritans helped a paraplegic man from a burning home but were injured when an oxygen tank apparently exploded and blew them off the back porch.

The home's resident, Marlon Landhuis, 64, was in serious condition at University Hospital. Rescuer James Hall was treated and released, and Terry Womack was in fair condition, a hospital spokesman said.

At least eight fire engines were called to battle the blaze. The fire backed up traffic for about a mile on the busy street in front of the man's home.

Lt. Amy Barrett of the Columbia fire department praised the men who stopped to help the disabled man.

"They weren't thinking of themselves but how they could help someone else that was in trouble," she said. "They didn't have any idea of the situation they would find."

Man charged in beating death of transient

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Authorities were searching for a man charged Friday in a beating death at a transient camp in Southwest Missouri.

John Robert Carollo is wanted on second-degree murder and armed criminal action charges. Carollo, 31, is a transient whose last known address was in Mobile, Ala.

He is suspected in the beating death of Gilbert Warnick, 40, of Bolivar.

Warnick also was a drifter, authorities said. His body was found in May slumped beside a partially collapsed shack in north Springfield.

A witness told police that he saw Carollo hit Warnick in the head several times with a large piece of concrete. An autopsy confirmed Warnick died of a massive head injury.

Carollo is known to ride trains from state to state, authorities said. He has an extensive criminal history involving assaults in several states.

Howardville police car rams city hall Friday

HOWARDVILLE, Mo. -- The Howardville police car made a short trip, but one with impact.

Between 5:30 and 6 a.m. Friday a passer-by reported seeing the lights of the police car come on while it was parked in the lot next to Howardville City Hall.

The witness told the New Madrid County Sheriff's Department the car then rammed the building.

No description of the person involved in the incident was available from authorities.

-- From wire reports