Work on train tracks starts large wildfire in Stoddard County

DEXTER, Mo. -- A large brush fire was sparked Tuesday along train tracks running north and south near Highway 25 when a maintenance vehicle reportedly was working on the tracks.

The fire started about one mile north of U.S. 60 and traveled to just north of Bernie.

The fire threatened numerous homes and several businesses.

Fire departments from throughout Stoddard county were dispatched including Dexter, Bernie, Bloomfield, Essex and Dudley.

One Bloomfield firefighter reportedly sustained minor injuries, but was not taken to a hospital for treatment.

A portion of the fire, at highways 25 and 114, threatened a pair of local businesses, but was extinguished before any serious damage was done.

Highway 25 between Dexter and Bernie, and an eastbound land of U.S. 60 were closed due to smoke and poor visibility from a large field fire. Several power poles were on fire.

At Misty Acres, a subdivision just east of Dexter, a hay field to the west of the tracks went up in smoke threatening several structures and destroying at least one shed and causing significant damage to a home nearby.

The exact cause of the fires, which dotted an area primarily on the west side of the tracks from the Bernie area to an area north of Dexter, has not yet been confirmed.

Pertinent address:

Dexter, MO

Bernie, MO