LAKE OZARK, Mo. — A stretch of Highway W was completely shut down for multiple hours on Friday night, Dec. 2, when two separate emergencies brought fire, police, and ambulance personnel to the area.
What happened at one of the incidents is still unclear; authorities have not yet released an official statement, but police radio communications at the time suggested the possibility of a hostage situation, around 8 p.m. One individual near the scene reported hearing gunshots.
Lake Ozark Police Chief Gary Launderville could not be reached on Saturday for comment.
As police responded to that situation, fire ignited a home at 11 Jade Road, just off Highway W. Rocky Mount Fire Protection District firefighters were toned out at approximately 8:53 p.m. to the fire.
Two apparatus and four personnel arrived on the scene within five minutes to find flames showing through the roof of a home. Due to the advanced state of the fire, mutual aid assistance was requested from Lake Ozark and Moreau County Fire Districts.
The cause of the fire appeared to be, according to Chief Hurtubise, a heat lamp that ignited wood shavings used for dog bedding in a dog house located against the back of the home.
Firefighters made an aggressive attack on the fire, bringing one line through the front door and the second at the rear of the home, according to RMFPD Fire Chief Kevin Hurtubise. The fire was contained to the back of the home, kitchen and attic areas and was quickly extinguished. The home had serious smoke and water damage due to the fire and extinguishing efforts.
Hurtubise explained the road was closed in part because motorists would not follow firefighter instructions to take a detour around the fire and also due to insufficient space and parking for fire apparatus. Two alternate detours were established to handle the traffic flow.
But on Saturday morning, fire struck the same home a second time.
RMFPD firefighters were toned out to the same location at 10:35 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. That fire damaged another 20 percent of the home, Hurtubise said.
The fire marshal was called in to investigate the cause of this fire, which is still undetermined.
The occupants were not at home at the time of either fire. The dog was not in the dog house, but was in a fenced in area in the back yard. No pets or humans were injured in either fire.
