A suspected brush fire recently destroyed a U-Haul truck near the 4800 block of East Golden Circle in the High Ridge area. The truck was not occupied, and nobody was nearby at the time of the fire, High Ridge Fire Chief John Barton said.
He said the High Ridge Fire Protection District got a call at 8:57 p.m. Nov. 6 about the fire, and firefighters arrived on the scene at 9:03 p.m.
“Several 911 callers could see flames in the area and also reported hearing several loud explosions,” Barton said. “When we arrived on the scene, we located a vehicle engulfed in flames in a nearby field.”
He said Monday, Nov. 13, that the cause of the fire had not been determined, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was investigating the fire.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Coordinator Grant Bissell said the burning truck was parked on property owned by Ameren. He said a detective was able to determine the U-Haul truck was a 2023 Chevrolet Silverado that was rented at Beiers Auto Parts in Fenton.
Barton said it’s typical for loud explosions to occur during vehicle fires because parts of it go up in flames, such as the tires and suspension.
Barton said all the fire district’s units were back in service at 10:28 p.m.