More than 20 firefighters and six fire trucks spent more than two hours extinguishing a fire that overtook a vacant, flood-damaged home in the first block of Grove Avenue off Hwy. B in St. Charles County on Aug. 19. When Central County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) crews arrived on scene just before midnight, they found a small single-family home fully engulfed in fire. They determined that the structure had been recently damaged by flooding, was vacant and all utilities had been disconnected.
“After a flood it is not uncommon for property owners to try to dispose of damaged property by setting these homes on fire. This is not the proper method of removal of damaged buildings or debris, and these fires create a dangerous situation for neighbors and first responders. We would prefer that property owners work through the proper mitigation process of cleaning up after a flood,” said CCFR Assistant Chief Steve Brown.
Due to the large amount of fire and damage to the building, a defensive attack was made by firefighters to extinguish the blaze. CCFR firefighters were assisted by St. Charles City Fire Department, Orchard Farm Fire Protection District, St. Charles County Ambulance District and St. Charles County Police.
Due to the extreme damage to the structure, fire investigators were unable to make entry to determine the origin of the fire.