Two residents at the Sugar Creek Apartments complex have been displaced due to a fire that started Thursday night, Dec. 18.
The High Ridge Fire Protection District was called to an apartment building at the 4200 block of Jade Way Court in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton about 7 p.m. Fire Chief John Barton said the fire started near an outdoor storage closet attached to a first-floor apartment.
He said none of the complex residents were injured in the fire.
“When we arrived, there were residents outside the building, and there was a fire on the first floor that had extended to the second floor,” Barton said. “There was also a sprinkler that had activated, so there was a lot of water flowing from the sprinkler already, which we believe helped keep the fire in check, so to speak, and prevented it from extending into the second floor or into the void space.”
The fire was extinguished by 7:24 p.m. and crews left the scene by 9:20 p.m., Barton said. The cause of the fire is still unknown, he said, but likely will be ruled as accidental.
“I spoke with the investigator this morning, and the cause will probably be listed as undetermined,” Barton said today, Dec. 19. “We can’t rule out an electrical problem with something in that apartment, but I don’t think they were able to identify a specific outlet or circuit that would have been responsible for it.”
Barton said the first-floor apartment has significant damage due to the fire. However, because the fire originated outside the residence, he said most of the residents’ belongings should be undamaged. He said the second-floor apartment was vacant at the time of the fire.
Barton said High Ridge Fire was assisted on the scene by the Valley Park, Eureka, Saline Valley and Fenton fire protection districts, along with the North Jefferson County Ambulance District.
Barton said this incident was a good example of how effective sprinkler systems can be. In general, Barton said apartment sprinkler systems are checked annually by the fire district and when completing occupancy inspections.
“This certainly would have been a much more significant incident with more residents and apartments affected, but the activation of one single sprinkler head was enough to prevent the fire on the first floor from moving up and causing serious damage on the second floor,” Barton said. “That, combined with residents calling 911 right away and evacuating the building instead of wasting some time trying to put the fire out themselves, is what made the difference.”