An accidental fire destroyed a large storage building at a home in the 5300 block of Diehl Lane in High Ridge early Monday morning (April 2), said Deputy Chief Ken Theiling of the High Ridge Fire Protection District.
“People were seeing fire and a large glow through the woods,” Theiling said. “We had to search for it. We had people going down different roads where we could see the glow.”
At 2:57 a.m., firefighters found the 20-by-60-foot storage building on fire. It was fully engulfed in flames, Theiling said.
“It was back a private road that was overgrown. It was difficult to get the trucks back there,” he said.
Two homes were located on the property – the owner’s and a rental home – and residents from both houses were there at the time, Theiling said.
The storage building was filled with flooring and other construction materials, as well as other items, including baby chicks and a heat lamp to keep them warm, Theiling said.
He said although the building was destroyed and the cause of the fire could not be determined, he suspects the heat lamp may have caused the fire.
Firefighters had the fire under control in about 15 or 20 minutes, Theiling said.
The building, however, was destroyed, he said.
“There was not much left,” Theiling said.
Several fire districts were en route to the fire when High Ridge fire officials determined the building was not a home but a storage building, so the other districts were told to disregard the call, Theiling said.
“We were able to handle it with three High Ridge trucks,” he said.