A Dittmer man has been displaced from his home at 9913 Jones Creek Road following a fire there on May 12. The man was home when the fire started and got out of the home uninjured, Cedar Hill Fire Protection District Chief Mick Fischer said.
He said the fire started in the bathroom, and the man living there got out of the home and called 911 after smelling smoke.
Crews were dispatched at 12:56 a.m., arrived at 1:03 a.m. and had the fire under control at 1:20 a.m. The cause of the fire is undetermined but considered accidental, Fischer said.
He said the whole home has smoke damage, and the man is staying with someone he knows.
Fischer said there were no smoke detectors.
“Had he been sleeping it could have been a different outcome,” Fischer said. “It's good to have that early warning,” he said.
Anyone who needs a working smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector may call the fire district at 636-285-3345, and firefighters will bring the detector to the person’s home and install it. There is no charge for the detectors or installation because the district has grant money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the program, Fischer said.
He said the St. Clair Fire Protection District helped with the call, and the Big River Ambulance responded to the scene.