Fire Official: 600-acre fire near Lake of the Ozarks ‘100% contained’
LAURIE, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Gravois Fire Protection District official has confirmed that a 600-acre fire has been fully contained.
The department will have crews monitoring the area throughout the evening, as a precaution.
The Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District said on its social media that it is responded to a large brush fire off Route RA around Great Lake View Drive near Laurie.
"Our remaining units have responded to numerous calls due to high winds. The winds are not due to die down until 10:00pm," the department wrote. "There is numerous signs and telephone poles broken throughout the area. Use caution through the night as emergency and utility crews are out working."
Gravois Fire Protection District Chief Ed Hancock told ABC 17 News in an email that one building was destroyed. He said the fire was caused by a power line that was downed from a tree falling. He said the agencies on the scene are close to having the fire contained. Multiple fires were reported this afternoon.
Gravois Deputy Chief John Scheper told ABC 17 News that the fire is about 100% contained.
Scheper told ABC 17 News that fire conditions in the Lake area are like what he saw when working in California. He said this will be tough weekend for Lake-area fire agencies, given dry conditions and wind.
High winds were also attributed by Ameren earlier in the day for power outages in the area.
Storms hit Mid-Missouri on Friday. About 984 Ameren customers in Morgan County are without power, currently. Mid-Missouri was in a tornado watch for hours.
"The common theme Ameren crews are reporting from around that area (Morgan and Camden counties) is: High winds are blowing trees and tree limbs into power lines," an Ameren spokesperson told ABC 17 News in an email. "Our crews are prepared for the strong weather and are working to safely restore current outages."
Camden County customers are also experiencing a number of outages. The total amount of outages was at 1,282 in that county.
"For the most part, crews in counties around that Lake of the Ozarks area are seeing outages caused by high winds blowing trees and tree limbs into power lines."
