A 59-year-old De Soto woman died Monday morning as the result of a fire that destroyed her home at 430 Johnston Drive, De Soto Police Capt. Jeffery Wynn said.
On Tuesday morning, at Leader deadline, authorities were not releasing the woman’s name.
Wynn said police were dispatched to the woman’s home to investigate a 911 hangup call just after 9:30 a.m. and when an officer arrived, no one came to the door. At 9:44 a.m., the officer spotted smoke coming from the house and requested the De Soto Fire Department to respond.
De Soto Rural firefighters arrived first, with a crew from the De Soto Fire Department right behind them, De Soto Fire Chief Tony Ochoa said.
When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming from the eaves, he said.
Ochoa said a neighbor told firefighters she believed the woman who lived in the home was inside.
He said firefighters could not enter the house through the front door because a number of Amazon boxes and other items were blocking the entrance. Amazon boxes also were scattered throughout the house and garage, creating intense heat and making it dangerous for firefighters to get around.
He said firefighters eventually made it through the back door and accessed the woman’s bedroom where she was found. Then, crews had to cut the window opening wider to get the woman out.
The woman was taken by Valle Ambulance to Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City, where she was pronounced dead a short time later, Ochoa said.
He believes two cats also died in the fire.
Ochoa said it was a tough day for the firefighters.
“They feel sad they lost a life, but I commend them for a great job,” Ochoa said. “It was just one of those conditions where it was a hoarder house, and it's just you got to get in there and do what you can and figure out how to get the person out. But, you know, unfortunately, they didn't make it.”
The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
The Big River, Cedar Hill, Dunklin, Goldman, Hematite, Hillsboro, Jefferson R-7, Mapaville and Rock Community fire protection districts and the Crystal City and Festus fire departments helped with the call. Firefighters remained at the scene until about 1:30 p.m., Ochoa said.