A fire on Dec. 22 destroyed a house and displaced a family of six, a Festus Fire spokesman said.
Chuck Boyer, assistant chief, said the department received a call at 3:09 p.m. about the blaze at the house in the 100 block of Frisco Street.
“We had heavy fire and smoke in the structure when we arrived,” he said. “It looked like it started in the rear of the house. A family member who lives nearby had tried to get into the house, but turned back because of the fire and smoke.”
He said the cause of the fire is “undetermined, but nothing suspicious.”
He said a family of a mother, father and four children had rented the house, but none of them were home at the time of the incident. A pet dog perished in the blaze, he said.
Crews had the fire under control in about 45 minutes, Boyer said, and remained on scene until about 6 p.m.
He said no firefighters reported any injuries.
“The crew was able to retrieve Christmas presents right away upon arrival,” Boyer said. “But, that was all they were able to salvage.”
The house was a total loss, he said.
“The Red Cross was notified to help find temporary housing for the family,” he said.
The Crystal City and Herculaneum fire departments and Dunklin, Hematite, Hillsboro and Jefferson R-7 fire districts helped with the call and the Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District also responded.