A man was found dead in a home in the 8600 block of Deer Ridge Acres Road in Dittmer after it was destroyed in a blaze on Saturday (March 31).
The man had not been positively identified as of Monday, said Cpl. Matthew Moore of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
“We think we know who it is, but we have no positive identification yet,” Moore said.
The fire is considered suspicious, and the Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating it, said Greg Shuster, assistant chief at the Cedar Hill Fire Protection District.
“The cause and origin of the fire is still under investigation,” Moore said.
Cedar Hill Fire got a call about the fire at 6:59 a.m., after neighbors saw it and called 911.
At 7:06 a.m., Shuster was first to arrive at the home on Deer Ridge Acres, which is near Dittmer-Catawissa Road and Shenandoah Drive.
“We had a one-story frame house with heavy smoke coming out the front and fire in the rear of the structure,” Shuster said.
Firefighters began attacking the fire and struck a second alarm, calling in more agencies to assist, he said.
“The building was pretty good size, and with the amount of fire we had, I wanted more resources,” Shuster said.
He said firefighters were unsure if there was anyone in the building when they arrived on the scene, and they could not enter the building.
“The fire had to be fought from the outside due to the amount of fire that was in the building,” Shuster said.
The fire was brought under control about 8:10 a.m., he said.
Firefighters found the body of the victim, Shuster said.
He said firefighters were on the scene until 3:43 p.m.
The High Ridge, Eureka, Pacific and St. Clair fire protection districts, as well as the Big River Ambulance District, assisted with the call. The Hillsboro Fire Protection District moved into to cover Cedar Hill’s district during the incident.
“Everybody did an outstanding job,” Shuster said.