A home at 109 Bethany Court, in the Fox Pointe subdivision, in Arnold was destroyed by a fire late Wednesday afternoon (April 9).
Fortunately, no one was hurt, said Ron Harder, spokesman for the Rock Community Fire Protection District.
The home belongs to Shannon and Jeff Keller, who are part of the Fortel family that owns pizza restaurants in the St. Louis area, Rock Fire Marshal Jeff DeLapp said.
They were not home when the fire started, but their two children, a boy and girl, were, and they got out uninjured, Harder said.
“They smelled smoke and at first thought someone was barbecuing, but the stronger it got, they went by the (attached) garage and saw fire and ran out. They got out safely, and a dog got out safely,” Harder said.
By the time the kids got out of the home, at 4:11 p.m., neighbors were calling to report the fire, he said.
“We got multiple calls on it,” Harder said.
Firefighters were on the scene “within five minutes,” he said. “The first truck (on the scene) was met by heavy fire and smoke coming from the garage. The heavy, black smoke was visible for a couple of miles.”
Harder said firefighters were inside the home trying to put out the blaze when conditions became dangerous, and they had to rush out.
“The fire got in the attic above the firefighters,” he said. “It was above their heads while they were fighting it, so it became dangerous and the commander pulled the firefighters out of the structure. The air horns were sounded, and the firefighters knew to get out.”
Harder said it was lucky the home didn’t collapse on the firefighters.
“It was miraculous,” he said. “It was pretty wicked, a pretty bad call.”
After firefighters got out of the home, they used a large “aerial ladder” and “heavy master streams (of water)” to control the blaze from outside the home, Harder said.
The home was “totally destroyed,” Harder said, but firefighters were able to control the blaze, so the homes on either side only had minor siding damage.
Harder said the fire appears accidental, and it looks like it started in the garage.
However, it’s still under investigation.
“Once we stabilize the structure a little better, we can get in and inspect it better,” Harder said.
Firefighters had the blaze under control in about an hour, but were on the scene for three or four hours, he said.
The Mehlville Fire Protection District assisted with the call, Harder said.