A fire heavily damaged a house in the 3900 block of Gail Drive in Imperial and displaced the homeowner, Saline Valley Fire Marshal Ryan Lesh reported.
He said the district received a call about the fire about 11:50 a.m. May 7 and the first firefighters reported heavy fire in the garage and extended into the main part of the house.
He said the homeowner, a man in his 30s, and his dog got out of the house safely before firefighters arrived, but a cat “was unaccounted for.” No injuries were reported, Lesh said.
“It started in the garage,” he said. “(The homeowner) was working on his truck. He went inside to change clothes and when he returned the truck was on fire and it had spread into the house.
“There was extensive damage to the house. It might be repairable. It’s up to insurance.”
Firefighters placed the fire under control at approximately 12:30 p.m., he said, and they remained until 4 p.m.
Lesh said the homeowner is the only full-time resident of the house, but he has a daughter who lives there part of the time. He said the Red Cross was contacted to assist the homeowner in finding at least temporary housing.
He said the start of the fire was traced to the truck and was not suspicious in nature.
The Antonia, Rock Community, High Ridge and Mehlville fire protection districts assisted with the fire. Rock Township Ambulance, Jefferson County 911 Dispatch and Ameren also assisted.