A home in the 13000 block of Klondike Road south of De Soto was damaged by fire on March 27, displacing a family until repairs can be made, said Assistant Fire Chief Tom Fitzgerald of the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District.
A man, a woman and some children live in the home, but none of them was in the house when the fire broke out. A dog was inside but escaped through a doggie door, Fitzgerald said.
He said De Soto Rural Fire got a call at 11:10 a.m. about the blaze.
“It gutted the living room area,” Fitzgerald said.
He said there also was “heavy smoke damage.”
“It is not habitable at this point, but it is repairable,” Fitzgerald said.
He said it looked like an electrical problem started the fire.
“We had it investigated – it appeared to start at a power strip or electric cord leading to an electric fireplace,” Fitzgerald said.
He said he does not know where the family intends to live until the house is repaired, but the Red Cross was called to help them.
Fitzgerald said firefighters were on the scene for “about an hour and a half.”
The De Soto Fire Department and the Hillsboro, Big River and Potosi fire protection districts and the Valle Ambulance District assisted with the call.