An electrical fire in the 5500 block of Stonecrest Drive in House Springs destroyed a mobile home, leaving the homeowner displaced, High Ridge Fire Chief John Barton said.
Barton said High Ridge Fire Protection District crews arrived at the home at about 6:15 a.m. May 21 to find it already engulfed in flames. Two sheds on a neighboring property were also damaged by the fire.
Barton said the homeowner arrived as firefighters were putting out the fire and investigating the cause. No injuries were reported.
Ameren was called due to downed power lines in the area, Barton said.
“During the investigation, the cause of the fire was ruled to be from the improper use of extension cords,” Barton said. “I believe they were using extension cords to get electricity from one property to another. The extension cords were overloaded and caught fire.”
Barton said a woman who did not live at that mobile home was taken into custody because some neighbors believed she had caused the fire. However, the High Ridge Fire Marshal and the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office discovered the cause to be extension cords. Barton said the woman was transported to a hospital for evaluation but sustained no injuries from the fire.
The mobile home is uninhabitable, Barton said. The Red Cross was called to assist the homeowner, he said.
High Ridge Fire crews had the fire under control by 7 a.m. and left the scene by 9:18 a.m., Barton said.
Saline Valley, Cedar Hill, Eureka, Goldman and Antonia fire protection districts assisted with the fire. North Jefferson County Ambulance District responded as well.