UPDATE: One dead, one hospitalized after Jefferson City house fire
UPDATE 5 p.m.: Jefferson City fire officials have not confirmed the cause of the fire but ABC 17 crews spoke with people who said they knew who lived at the home that the fire took place.
Roberto Limon said Jose Julio Alas lived in the home with his wife, Blanca Acosta.
Limon said Alas was more like family than anything else. He said Alas started as a recruiter at Lincoln University and became his mentor.
Officials have not confirmed this information but ABC 17 found a Blanca Acosta listed in critical condition at University Hospital.
Those who knew Alas said he was just an all-around funny, sweet man.
ABC 17 spoke with Michael Jones, a former football coach from Lincoln University, Wednesday afternoon; he happens to attend a nearby Christian Church that received a call from their Pastor.
“He (Alas) was involved on the academic side. The only thing he worried about, he didn’t care about if we won 20 games or if we didn’t win any, he wanted every young man that he was around to graduate from Lincoln University school. That was his sole purpose. To make sure — when everything was said and done, these young men walked away with a degree,” Jones said.
UPDATE 4:30 p.m.: Firefighters confirm the individual who died was a man and the surviving resident, a woman, is currently at University Hospital in critical condition.
The cause and origin investigation is ongoing with assistance from the Jefferson City Police Department and the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Firefighters said they are working on notifying the next of kin.
UPDATE 11 a.m.: Jefferson City firefighters and police left the scene, but crime scene tape continues to block access to the house.
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UPDATE 10 a.m.: Jefferson City firefighters said the surviving resident who was taken to the hospital is in critical condition after their house caught fire Wednesday morning.
Firefighters also said two animals died in the fire.
Firefighters are still working to find the cause of the fire, but they said they don’t suspect any foul play was involved.
UPDATE 7:45 a.m.: Jefferson City firefighters said they found a resident dead after they responded to a home on fire, according to a news release.
Firefighters responded to the 700 block of Walsh Street around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday for reports of a house on fire, according to the news release.
Firefighters said when they arrived, they saw flames visible from the roof of the home.
One person was rescued from inside the home and was taken to the hospital with injuries from the fire, firefighters said.
Firefighters said as they continued to work, they found a person who had died inside the home.
Firefighters said the home sustained heavy fire damage.
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Jefferson City police arrived at the scene and have blocked off an area around the house as they and the firefighters continue to investigate.
ABC 17 News will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
ORIGINAL: Jefferson City fire crews told ABC 17 News one person was taken to the hospital after a fire at a house on Walsh Street.
First responders said one person is unaccounted for and considered missing.
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It happened around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday and JCFD investigators were still working the scene at least two hours later.
ABC 17 News has crews on scene as the investigation continues into what caused the blaze.
