11 trailers damaged in Boone County lot fire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Nearly a dozen trailers were destroyed or damaged in a fire Tuesday at a trailer sale lot near the intersection of Range Line Street and East Boone Industrial Boulevard in Boone County.
Boone County Fire responded to calls of a fire in the 4800 Block of Range Line Street at 5:52 p.m. The first unit arrived on scene within minutes.
"One of our volunteer firefighters actually made the first 9-1-1 call, who was in the area picking up his vehicle from mechanic shop so we had eyes on it pretty quick," Gale Blomenkamp, of the Boone County Fire Protection District said.
Blomenkamp says no injuries were reported. There were eight unoccupied "trailers or mobile classrooms" that caught fire, according to Blomenkamp on Tuesday night. A Wednesday social media post from the Boone County Fire Protection District later stated 11 trailers on the sale lot were damaged or destroyed.
Two witnesses told ABC 17 News that they were leaving Taco Bell when they heard a loud "bang" and then saw flames in the distance. An ABC 17 News reporter also saw flames coming from multiple buildings when they arrived on the scene.
When first responders arrived, they found multiple trailers on fire. Boone County Fire worked with the Columbia Fire Department to combat the blaze. However, the cold temperatures made fighting the fire difficult. Ice was seen accumulating on firefighter's helmets, with some crews even struggling to take off the equipment after the fire was put out.
"The challenge is, these things (trailers) are very close together, so when one catches fire it’s going to spread pretty easily to the neighboring mobile home or mobile classroom" Blomenkamp said. "So knowing this facility, knowing when we got the dispatch, what we were dealing with, we immediately called for Columbia Fire Department aerial support to try and get some water in the air and cut this thing off. "
Blomenkamp estimates 11 vehicles from the Columbia Fire Department and Boone County Fire were used to put out the fire.
The northbound lane of Range Line Street was closed at East Smiley Lane because of the fire, according to Boone County Joint Communications. It was reopened by 8:30 p.m.
There was apparently no electricity going to any of the mobile homes and the fire is under investigation. Damage estimates are not yet available.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
