A Hillsboro-area couple was displaced after their home was damaged by fire on July 2. It appears a burner on a stove was left on and caused the fire, Hillsboro Fire Chief Brian Gaudet said.
No one was injured, he said.
Gaudet said the Hillsboro Fire Protection District got a call at approximately 2:25 p.m. about the fire at the home in the 5900 block of Timberline Circle off Hwy. BB.
“Crews arrived on the scene to find a split-foyer style house with light smoke showing,” he said. “Upon entering the structure, they found smoke from floor to ceiling on the second floor. Using a thermal-imaging camera, crews found a fire in the kitchen at a stove. The kitchen was in the upstairs portion of the house.”
Gaudet said the occupants, a husband and wife, discovered the fire when they returned home from a shopping trip.
“They came home and found a fire and called,” he said. “(The husband) used a fire extinguisher that did, maybe, keep the fire at bay. The homeowner also closed the front door to the house, which kept the fire from growing due to air.”
Gaudet said it was an accidental fire.
Firefighters remained on the scene for about two hours, he said.
Gaudet said he doubted if the occupants could return to the house before some repairs are made.
“The couple went to stay with family,” he said. “We were immediately able to get them in touch with a restoration company.”
The Cedar Hill, Mapaville, Goldman, Antonia and High Ridge fire protection districts helped with the call. The Big River Ambulance District also responded to the scene.