This week’s rain will provide some reprieve from recent high fire danger, but it didn’t come soon enough to prevent several weekend fires from getting out of control, destroying mobile homes and property, and injuring one person.
Three Mobile Homes Destroyed, Propane Tank Nearly Ignites
The Rocky Mount Fire Protection District received an emergency fire call at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 5 to a controlled burn that had become an out-of-control burn, off Indian Creek Lane in Barnett, Mo.
Arriving firefighters found two trailer homes fully engulfed in fire, a third trailer home was in danger of igniting and two natural cover fires were blazing. Adding to the battles intensity, were high winds, a 500 gallon propane tank located next to the fire, downed power lines across the road and no water on the first arriving trucks.
“The normal procedure for downed powerlines is to stay 50 feet away. We were forced to violate that procedure and drive over the powerlines in order to get to an area where we could fight the fire,” Rocky Mount Protection District Fire Chief Kevin Hurtibise explained. “It is a safety issue.” Ameren Missouri immediately arrived on the scene and secured the lines.
Two land owners attempting to fight the natural cover fires suffered heat exhaustion and first degree burns on their arms. They were treated by the ambulance at the scene, and later refused transport.
A call for mutual aid was sent, with the Eldon Fire, Lake Ozark Fire and the Moreau County Fire Protection Districts responding.
Chief Hurtibise split the firefighters into four crews. One crew commenced a direct attack on the two trailers, while a second crew protected the third trailer, and ultimately a line of seven more homes. The third crew kept the nearby 500 gallon propane tank cooled so that it would not explode and injure working firefighters.
Finally, the last crew worked on two fast moving natural cover fires that were being fueled by dry brush and high winds. The fire split into two directions on both sides of the trailers. Since the trailer park was located in a valley, it made the attack on the natural cover fires extremely difficult. Firefighters were forced to carry heavy equipment, climbing up and down rocky, dense and steep terrain, on both sides of the fire. Crews built a fire line around both sides of Mobile Valley Road, which is connected to Indian Creek Road/W-6. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. “The heat coming from the two trailers in such a confined area in the valley made it extremely hot,” Chief Hurtibise said. The firefighter was not transported.
The fire was under control by 3:49 p.m. and firefighters cleared the scene after clean-up efforts at 5:30 p.m. A total of 20 firefighters responded. MCFPD responded with 10 firefighters, Eldon with five, Lake Ozark with three and Moreau County with two personnel. Ameren stayed at the scene to remove the downed lines after the fires were extinguished. They were able to re-establish power to the remaining homes that same night.
The three trailer homes were second homes, and therefore, not occupied at the time of the fire. Two trailers were a total loss. Firefighters were able to contain the damage on the third trailer to one bedroom and outside siding. Approximately 20 acres burned as a result of the brush fires.
According to Chief Hurtibise, the fire was ignited by a landowner who was burning leaves in hazardous fire conditions. “If he called into the district to report the burn, he would have been told not to burn,” Chief Hurtibise said. “We have issued a no-burn notice in our district for the past two weeks.”
Thankfully, firefighters were able to save a line of eight trailers that were in path of the fire.
RMFPD firefighters were on a natural cover fire when they were toned out to this mobile home fire. “We had just used up all the water on our brush truck and we had to wait for another apparatus to arrive with water to fight the this one,” Chief Hurtibise said.
The district has recently experienced four small natural cover fires caused by citizens burning on no burn days that allowed the fires to get out of control. “All of the lake area fire districts are being incredibly taxed by running way to many calls due to these acts of negligence,” Chief Hurtibise warned. “One of these times we are not going to get to a house fire because we are too busy or too exhausted from fighting a brush fire that was caused by a negligent citizen burning in hazardous conditions, on a no-burn day. This could result in a horrible loss of life and property.”
Backyard Burning Injures One, Scorches 18 Acres
Rocky Mount Fire Protection District personnel also responded to a fire threatening multiple homes at 12:51 p.m. on Sunday, March 6 to Highway Z in Eldon, for the exact same reason. A homeowner was burning leaves, again on a no burn day, and the fire got away from her. When firefighters arrived on the scene they found the fire had already gone through the yard of two houses. Fueled by dry underbrush and high winds, the fire quickly blew through a field and ignited the yards of five homes. Two citizens were checked out by ambulance personnel, one was transported to the hospital with heat and stress related injuries
The first units on the scene used the water on one of the brush trucks to extinguish the flames against the foundations of the threatened homes. “We were able to keep it off the all the structures,” Chief Hurtibise reported.
Hand crews and fire trucks then established lines through a field and a wooded area to contain the rapidly spreading brush fire.
No firefighters were harmed in this incident. No structures were damaged. A total of 18 acres burned.
Lake Ozark Fire Protection District was requested for mutual aid but was cancelled enroute.
