A house fire on Sunday morning (Sept. 2) has displaced a family of five adults from their home in the 6200 block of Hwy. MM in House Springs. All five escaped the burning home safely, along with their two dogs, said Engineer John Barton with the High Ridge Fire Protection District.
“One of the family members reported that she woke up to a loud bang and other noises,” Barton said. “She started checking the house to locate the source of the noise, and when she opened the door to the attic, she could see it was filled with smoke, so she woke up the remaining family members and they got out.”
High Ridge Fire got a call about the fire at 5:39 a.m., and when the first truck arrived at 5:44 a.m., firefighters “reported heavy fire from the roof of the house”, Barton said.
The house, which is near the intersection of Hwy. MM and Duda Road, was more than 100 years old, and the owner had lived there for 40 years, Barton said.
The attic fire burned off the roof, and the rest of the home had smoke and water damage, he said.
“The home is not habitable at this time,” Barton said.
He said the insurance company will have to determine whether the house can be repaired.
Crews extinguished the fire and were on the scene until 9:06 a.m., when the final truck left, he said.
“The cause of the fire is undetermined, but it was not considered suspicious,” Barton reported.
The American Red Cross is assisting the residents with emergency food, clothing and shelter, he said.
The Antonia, Cedar Hill, Fenton, Eureka and Saline Valley fire protection districts and the Big River Ambulance District helped with the call.