Two Jefferson County residents died in a house fire south of De Soto overnight Monday, March 9, De Soto Rural Fire Chief Tom Fitzgerald said.
He said a passerby called 911 at 11:41 p.m. after seeing the fire in the 4800 block of Upper Blackwell Road. He said the house, which was built in the 1890s, was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
Fitzgerald said the occupants, an older couple, died in the fire.
Fitzgerald said the home and property was cluttered with belongings, which made the fire harder to fight.
He said the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office are working together to investigate the cause of the fire. He said he does not believe there was anything suspicious about the fire and there may have been a lightning strike on the property on March 6.
Grant Bissell, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, said the residents have not been positively identified by the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office as of 10 a.m. today, March 10.
“We’re handling the death investigation,” he said. “Right now, all I can say for sure is (there are) two adult victims.”
De Soto and Festus fire departments and Hematite, Jefferson R-7, Hillsboro, Big River, Potosi, Mapaville, Dunklin and St. Clair fire protection districts assisted with the fire. Valle Ambulance District responded. Cedar Hill, Rock Community, and Antonia fire protection districts assisted with other calls. Firefighters remained on the scene until 7:15 a.m.