Seven dogs died and a Hematite mobile home was destroyed in a July 14 fire.
At 5:42 p.m. the Hematite Fire Protection District got a call about the fire at 701 Church St., and when firefighters arrived at 6:03 p.m., they found the mobile home 50 percent engulfed in flames, Hematite firefighter Patrick Seymour said.
They immediately pulled two hoses from the truck and began fighting the fire. Tankers were called in to provide water because there were no hydrants in the area, Seymour said.
He said the man who lived in the home was outside talking to a neighbor when they heard a loud pop.
“He opened the door (to his mobile home) and saw the curtains near an A.C. (air conditioning) unit were on fire,” Seymour said. “He threw them out and turned around and the other set was on fire and it was too late (the mobile home started to go up in flames).”
The man’s neighbor called 911.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about an hour, but they remained on the scene until 8:10 p.m., Seymour said.
Seven dogs died in the fire, and two dogs escaped it, Seymour said.
The home was totaled, and the man planned to stay with family, Seymour said.
The Hillsboro, De Soto Rural, R-7 and Mapaville fire protection districts and the De Soto and Festus fire departments helped with the call.