Man missing after Monday house fire near O’Fallon Park
ST. LOUIS – One man is still unaccounted for after a fire Monday in north St. Louis.
Firefighters responded to the 4500 block of Athlone just before noon. The location is near O’Fallon Park in north St. Louis.
It was a two-alarm house fire for a two-story home. Crews worked to contain it in brutal temperatures.
Dangerous cold to continue through Wednesday morning
“We had initial report there were persons trapped,” says Garon Mosby, St. Louis Fire Department Captain. “Companies got here, and we had just a heavy volume of smoke on the first floor. Aggressive interior attack. What we didn’t know once we got inside is that we had hoarding-style conditions, which means about waste-high. There was a lot of content in the building.”
Authorities say one man who lived in the building is still unaccounted for. Crews searched for anyone inside but quickly had to evacuate the building.
“Once I came out, the police were actively working it. Literally there were flames coming out of the front to the home,” says Laura Keys, Alderwoman 11th Ward who lives nearby. “This particular family has been a friend of my family for more than 40 years. Our prayers go out to this family for their tremendous loss of their home under such terrible conditions, but no condition is good to lose your home.”
The St. Louis Fire Department busy today on a brutally cold day with three fires, one in Soulard and another at Goodfellow and Maple. Fire officials say this should serve as a friendly reminder over home safety in frigid temperatures.
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“If you’re using a space heater, we get it,” says Mosby. “Folks are going to do what they have to do to stay warm. Plug it directly into the wall. Don’t use a power strip. If you leave the room turn it off. If you go to bed, turn it off. And really important, keep it at least three feet from anything that can burn.”
Fire officials have not determined the cause of the blaze, which was contained to one building, crews worked to save homes on both sides.
“We continue to pray for them and pray for the best,” says Keys. “We must see faith. We hope that this will be okay.”
It’s unclear if the missing man escaped, but crews are still searching for him.
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