Nelson’s Taxidermy shop in the 14000 block of Klondike Road south of De Soto was damaged by fire on Father’s Day (June 16). It looks like a lawn mower stored inside the metal building caused the fire, said Chief Paul Mayer of the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District.
He said the owner lives in a separate house on the property, and no one was inside the metal building during the fire.
At 4:35 p.m. Sunday, De Soto Rural fire got a call about the blaze, Mayer said.
“When the first unit arrived, it had smoke coming out of about every opening in the building,” he said. “It appears to have started from a lawn mower. The owner had just finished mowing (and returned to the main house). We’re not sure if it backfired after it shut off. The fire burned up the walls, went through wooden sections of the walls and ceiling.”
Mayer said he did not know the extent of the damage to any items in the shop, but he believes there was extensive smoke damage.
“(The building) can be fixed,” he added.
The De Soto, Festus, Hematite, Hillsboro, R-7, Potosi and Big River fire departments and districts, as well as the Valle Ambulance District helped with the call, Mayer said.