A fire claimed the remnants of an abandoned house in the 2200 block of Gravois Road in High Ridge on Saturday night (June 30). The house was in the process of being demolished, said John Barton, an engineer with the High Ridge Fire Protection District.
The district got a call about the fire at 10:42 p.m.
“The 911 caller reported that she could see the tops of trees on fire but was unsure of the exact location,” Barton said.
Firefighters arrived on the scene at 10:47 p.m. and found a large fire burning the remnants of the house left inside the foundation, Barton said.
“The entire structure had already been torn down and was contained within the old foundation,” he said. “From the perspective of the 911 caller, it looked like a tree line was on fire, but that was just the height of the flames from the debris.
“Two additional trucks were dispatched for extra water and personnel, and it took an hour before the fire was declared under control.”
The cause of the fire is undetermined and not considered suspicious, Barton said.
The last unit fighting the blaze returned to service at 12:35 a.m., he said.