Firefighters not only had to battle flames Feb. 13 at a home in the 1900 block of Main Drive in High Ridge but also sub-freezing temperatures, High Ridge Fire Protection District Capt. John Barton said.
A passer-by saw the house fire and called 911, and when crews opened the garage door at High Ridge Fire Station 2, they could see the flames from across Hwy. 30, Barton said.
Crews were dispatched to the fire at 10:54 p.m.
“The temperature when we got the call was 1 degree,” Barton said.
With the wind chill, it was about -15 degrees, he added.
Barton said crews arrived on the scene at 10:59 p.m., and when firefighters arrived, several cars were in the driveway so they thought people were still in the house and started searching inside. Later, however, crews learned the three adult men who rent the house all had made it out on their own before crews arrived and had gone to a neighbor's house to keep warm.
Barton said the fire is not suspicious, but the cause was undetermined as of Monday (Feb. 15).
He said the house is uninhabitable, but the Red Cross was not called because all three men had places to stay.
Barton said it was difficult to fight the fire because the hoses were freezing.
“It’s just a constant struggle to keep everything from freezing as you are trying to use it,” he said.
Barton said 14 trucks and about 50 firefighters responded to the scene, including crews from the Saline Valley, Eureka, Fenton, Mehlville and Valley Park fire protection districts. The North Jefferson County Ambulance District also responded to the scene.
Barton said water from the trucks caused ice on the street, and off-duty High Ridge firefighters arrived to salt the street.
He said the fire was under control at 11:53 p.m. and crews left the scene at 1:30 a.m. Sunday (Feb. 14).
