Fire claimed a modular home on Saturday (Feb. 17) southwest of Valles Mines in the extreme southern part of Jefferson County near the St. Francois County border.
Just after midnight, the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District got a call about the fire in the 14000 block of Vinegar Hill Road, just off Silver Springs Road, Assistant Chief Tom Fitzgerald said.
“Originally we thought it was an assist to Big River (in Francois County). The neighbor across the street (in St. Francois County) saw it and called,” Fitzgerald said.
But, they soon found out it was De Soto Rural’s call, and when firefighters arrived on the scene, “The house was fully involved,” Fitzgerald said.
No one was home at the time of the fire, and firefighters began to put out the blaze, he said.
“Our Station 2 truck used its deck gun to knock the fire down,” Fitzgerald said. “The crews used hand lines (hoses) to finish extinguishing the fire.”
The house was destroyed, and the residents plan to stay with family, he said.
The state Fire Marshal was called to investigate the fire, but as of Tuesday (Feb. 20), had not yet determined a cause, Fitzgerald said.
“He said it was nothing suspicious,” Fitzgerald said.
Firefighters were on the scene for about three hours, Fitzgerald said.
The Big River, Lake Timberline, Goose Creek, Desloge, Park Hills and Farmington fire departments helped with the call.