No hydrants and strong wind hampers firefighters
July 9, 2010
Wentzville, MO
The Wentzville Fire Protection District firefighters responded to a report of a residential garage fire in the 200 block of East Bless Drive on Tuesday, July 6, 2010.
Emergency units were dispatched at 12:13 p.m. The caller reported that there was a fire in the garage and that the house was being evacuated. The first emergency unit on the scene reported heavy smoke and fire with the garage fully involved extending into the two story residence. The first fire units arrived and started attacking the fire using hose lines and an elevated fire stream. These efforts were hampered by a strong wind pushing the fire from the garage to the residence. Firefighters were also hampered with a lack of public water supply as the area is rural with no fire hydrants. The closest hydrant was approximately four to five miles away in Flint Hill, Missouri. Additional water tankers had been added to the initial alarm.
These units formed a water shuttle operation to supply water for the fire attack. A second alarm was asked for to bring additional firefighters to the scene as firefighters were faced with extreme fire conditions along with high temperatures and humidity. One firefighter injured his ankle and another firefighter was transported to the hospital due to a heat related injury. The transported firefighter was later released from the hospital after being checked by the emergency room doctors. No one from the residence was injured.
Fire units from O’Fallon, Lake Saint Louis, New Melle, Lincoln County and Warren County assisted Wentzville in fighting the fire. After investigation by a team of investigators from the Wentzville Fire District, O’Fallon Police and the State Fire Marshall’s Office, the exact cause of the fire has not been determined but it is believed to have begun in the area of a passenger vehicle in the garage.
The Wentzville Fire District covers 88 square miles of Western St. Charles County and includes the cities of Wentzville, Foristell, Flint Hill, and Josephville; as well as large portions of Lake Saint Louis, Dardenne Prairie and O’Fallon.
From the Wentzville Fire District
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