A fire late in the evening on Aug. 14 in the 7200 block of Country Life Acres east of Cedar Hill left one dog dead, a man detained and a house completely destroyed.
David Jones, assistant fire chief at Cedar Hill Fire Protection District, said residents of the neighborhood called about a fire at a split-level home, and also reported seeing a man walking around the area with a long rifle gun. He said Cedar Hill Fire received the call at 10:06 p.m. but waited at a staging area until law enforcement officers cleared the scene before putting out the fire.
“We had a delayed response of 10 to 12 minutes,” Jones said. “The house was totally destroyed. It was most likely an accidental fire, which probably started in the living room. No other homes were impacted.”
Captain Nic Forler with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the male occupant of the residence was detained. He said the man was the owner’s guest and is from St. Louis County. The owner was not home at the time of the fire.
“Deputies made contact with the 51-year-old male and determined he was armed with a pellet gun,” Forler said. “Crisis Intervention (CIT) deputies spoke with the male and determined that he was suffering from some form of mental crisis. He was transported to a local hospital for evaluation by medical staff.”
Jones confirmed that one dog died as a result of the fire.
He said fire crews arrived on the scene at 10:24 p.m. and left at 12:24 a.m. Aug. 15. Antonia, Eureka and High Ridge fire protection districts provided mutual aid on the call.
Forler said the cause of the fire is still under investigation and anyone with information can contact the Detective Bureau, 636-797-5515.