Lack of fire hydrants at I-70 Drive SE fire is because house was built before city’s fire codes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A house that caught fire Tuesday evening in east Columbia was built in 1890, before the city's fire code was established, and annexed into the city. For this reason, the house does not comply with Columbia's fire codes.
Fire crews are cleaning up after a house caught fire Tuesday in the 5100 block of Interstate 70 Drive Southeast.
Columbia Fire Department responded to the fire Tuesday night with assistance from Boone County Fire Protection District.
Columbia Fire Chief Clayton Farr Jr. said the house was partly a log cabin and surrounded by a lot of mature trees and grass, about an acre of which also caught on fire.
"So water supply was a challenge for us in this area," Farr said on Tuesday. "We don't have fire hydrants that are necessarily close. So because of that, we made contact with the Boone County Fire Protection District and they were able to send us several water tankers."
In response to an inquiry from ABC 17 News, Columbia City Counselor Nancy Thompson said, "In general, the building codes, including the fire code, apply to new construction at the time the construction occurs. They also could apply to an expansion or change of use for existing buildings, particularly when there is a change in use from a less intense to a more intense one."
Columbia's fire code requires fire hydrants to be placed every 500 feet in residential areas and every 300 feet in nonresidential areas. However, this house was built before the code.
"The current residential code applies to any new developments inside the city. So any any new developments that occur would have to follow  the current code, which is 2018.  And any new developments would would follow that code as far as hydrants and water supply available in that area," said Jeffrey Heidenreich, Columbia assistant fire chief, said.
Farr said the cause of the fire is under investigation. He said it could take a while for the investigation to be completed due to the extent of the damage.
CFD working a fully involved residential structure fire. No injuries reported. Fire under investigation. Fire in the area of 1-70 Dr SE pic.twitter.com/P68i1n2rLh
— Columbia_Fire (@Columbia_Fire) July 5, 2023
No injuries were reported. The Columbia Fire Department believes the house was unoccupied. Investigators estimate $200,000 in damage was caused.
