A fire destroyed a home in the 9400 block of Hillsboro-House Springs Road north of Hillsboro early Oct. 5, said Chief Brian Gaudet of the Hillsboro Fire Protection District.
The people who live in the home weren’t there when the fire broke out, but four juveniles who don’t live there were. They got out uninjured, Gaudet said.
He said he did not know if the juveniles are somehow related to the people who live in the home.
“Unfortunately, we believe four cats perished in the fire,” Gaudet said. “Two dogs survived.
Hillsboro Fire got a call at 1:58 a.m. about the blaze, he said.
“Crews arrived to find a single-story structure that was fully involved,” Gaudet said. “It’s the first house outside the city limits. (The juveniles) evacuated the residence. None were occupants.”
Gaudet said the house is uninhabitable.
“The structure was a total loss,” he said. “The occupants will have to find other housing. They are being assisted by the Red Cross and their insurance.”
Gaudet said Tuesday (Oct. 8) that he didn’t know the cause of the fire.
“The cause is under investigation,” he said. “It is not considered suspicious.”
Gaudet said firefighters remained on the scene until about 10 a.m.
The De Soto and Festus fire departments and the Antonia, De Soto Rural, Dunklin, Mapaville, Goldman and Cedar Hill fire protection districts helped with the call, as did the Valle Ambulance District.