A fire that consumed the front porch and second-floor balcony of a home at the 6000 block of Franks Road in Byrnes Mill on Nov. 24 is believed to be suspicious, according to High Ridge Chief John Barton.
Firefighters were dispatched to the house at 3:56 p.m.
“The fire was on the front porch and had extended to the second-floor balcony of the home, but the crews were able to put the fire out before it extended into the house at all,” Barton said. “The causes of (the fire) are unknown, but it is considered suspicious and has been turned over to the Byrnes Mill Police for further investigation.”
The fire was under control by 4:41 p.m. and all crews left the scene by 1:06 a.m. He said the state fire marshal’s office opened an investigation based on the initial evidence found on the scene.
Captain Steve Schaffer said Byrnes Mill Police are waiting for a full report from the state.
“We’re interviewing some of the residents and witnesses on the scene to see if they saw anything,” Schaffer said.
The homeowners were not home at the time of the fire, Barton said. Byrnes Mill Sgt. Cody Umfress rescued two dogs before fire crews arrived.
“When (Sgt. Umfress) arrived, he gained entry and rescued some of the animals from the house,” Captain Steve Schaffer said.
Barton said Umfress was transported to a hospital for smoke inhalation. On Monday, Schaffer said Umfress was doing fine and was released from the hospital.
Barton said the homeowners returned to the residence while crews worked to put out the fire.
“The homeowners were with friends from out of town who were visiting,” Barton said. “There were an additional two dogs and a cat that fire crews located during the search of the building. All the animals were unharmed.”
Fenton and Cedar Hill fire protection districts and North Jefferson County Ambulance District helped at the scene.
“We’re fortunate that passersby noticed the fire and called 911 right away,” Barton said. “Because of the quick notification, we were able to get to the scene and extinguish the fire before it caused any damage to the interior of the home.”