A fire and explosion Saturday night (Sept. 11) destroyed a detached garage at a home in the 300 block of Joachim Avenue in Herculaneum. In addition, several vehicles parked near the garage were either damaged or totaled, Herculaneum Fire Department Chief Kevin Baker said.
He said the department received a call at 10:45 p.m. about the fire.
A man in his early 40s said he had been working on a vehicle in the garage when the fire started.
“There was a report of an explosion. There were propane tanks,” Baker said. “We’re not sure where the explosion came from.
“The garage was a total loss. There were five vehicles parked outside of the garage and all had fire damage. They varied from total loss to some damage. The house had some heat damage it, melted siding. An above-ground pool had heat damage.”
He said neither the man nor any firefighters were injured.
Baker said Monday (Sept. 13) that the cause of the fire had not been determined. He said the fire is not considered suspicious but is still under investigation.
Firefighters remained on the scene until about 2:30 a.m.
The Dunklin and Rock Community fire protection districts and the Festus and Crystal City fire department helped with the call, and the Hematite Fire Protection District moved up to cover the Herculaneum station. The Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District also responded to the scene.
