Fire officials, Red Cross warn of winter fire hazards after more fires pop up across Mid-Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A fire in south Columbia Wednesday morning marked the 40th call for assistance from the Red Cross this month as fires continue to rise while temperatures drop across Mid-Missouri

The Columbia Fire Department was called to a home in the 4400 block of Glen Eagle Drive at 6:22 a.m. When crews arrived on scene flames were coming through the roof of the home.  

“It was just before 6:30 and I was hauling my trash can out to the curb and I looked over and I could see a few flames behind the house right across the street from us,” neighbor Paco Gomez told ABC 17 News. “The flames were really tall, like three stories high.” 

Gomez adds that at one point, he was worried the fire would spread to other houses because of the wind. 

CFD spokesperson Katherine Rodriguez said no one was home at the time of the fire, but there were dogs in the backyard. None of the dogs were not injured. Chief Brian Schaeffer later added that one firefighter was evaluated for injuries, but was cleared to return to duty. Firefighters were at the scene monitoring for hot spots on Wednesday afternoon. 

According to Red Cross spokeswoman Ann Vastmans, the fire was the 40th time the Red Cross has been asked to assist in Central and Southern Missouri since Nov. 5. Of those fires, two of them have been in Boone County.  

“We see an uptick in home fires during the winter months, especially starting in November. A lot of people are traveling and they're getting together for Thanksgiving, so they're cooking in the kitchen, which is one of the leading causes of home fires, is cooking,” Vastmans said. 

According to Vastmans, the Red Cross does not provide assistance for fires unless the fire department or victims affected reach out and ask for help. 

“A lot of times what happens during a home fire is people are alone or they're with their small family unit, but then they have to figure out, ‘OK, well, what's our next steps?’ Just having some emotional support and a shoulder to lean on right next to you can really help, especially for families with kids. Kids are usually upset,” Vastmans said. “A lot of times, Red Cross workers will come in, they will bring a care kit with them, which will have some essential hygiene items with them. They will bring coloring books or bears for the kids to kind of take their mind off of what has just happened.” 

Another person was killed in an overnight house fire in Warrensburg. The Johnson County Fire Protection District was notified about a double-wide mobile home that was fully engulfed in flames just before 5:30 Wednesday morning. According to a press release, when emergency crews arrived on scene only burning remnants of the home remained. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Missouri State Fire Marshal and Johnson County Fire Investigation Unit. 

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which promotes home fire safety. Vastmans encourages people to make a fire escape plan, monitor stoves while cooking, and check and clean heating appliances such as chimneys. However, she said one of the biggest life-saving measures is to ensure that your home has a working smoke detector. 

“You sometimes only have up to 2 minutes to escape your house. So, having a working smoke alarm that alerts you right away when there is any smoke being detected in the house can give you those extra seconds in order to get out,” Vastmans said.

Columbia Fire Chief Brain Schaeffer said the winter months can put an extra strain on fire departments. 

“It requires us to work in austere conditions oftentimes when folks stay inside because it's so cold, our people are often outside doing the work that involves water and freezing and a lot of physical labor,” Schaeffer said. 

While cooking is one of the leading causes of home fires, Schaffer said people should also be cautious of batteries. 

“We have already seen a number of fires that have been started by lithium batteries as well that were charging when they were unaccompanied,” Schaffer said.  “If you do have toys or electronics that use lithium-ion batteries, they do have a propensity to start fires to explode, especially if they have damage or were made from areas that haven't been listed.  So if you do have to charge those when you're at home and keep combustibles away from them, you never want to go to sleep at night  with a battery that's charging.”