A fire broke out at a mobile home that was being torn down in the 5500 block of Park Drive in House Springs early in the morning on July 23.
High Ridge Fire Chief John Barton said the fire started from an out-of-control woodburning pile close by. A neighbor working with the owner of the mobile home site thought he had heard thunder and didn’t want to lose his fire, he said.
“He threw a bigger piece of wood on the fire, which wound up getting away from him,” Barton said. “It’s definitely a little bit unusual that he didn’t want his fire to go out in the rain. The owner’s son was there at the same time, he corroborated the story.”
High Ridge Fire was dispatched at 1:09 a.m. and stayed on the scene until about 2:30 a.m.
The property was little more than a wooden frame and debris before the fire occurred, Barton said.
“It had caught fire before, and someone had purchased the mobile home and was in the process of tearing it down,” Barton said.
The fire was ruled accidental. The owner’s son and two neighbors performing work on the mobile home were on the scene when firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported. No other property was damaged in the fire.
Barton said High Ridge Fire handled the fire without assistance from other departments.