Fire marshal investigating midnight blaze

The Missouri State Fire Marshal is investigating a Friday morning fire in an occupied two story frame structure at 925 Spring St. where extra fire crews were on the scene four hours.

Flames were coming from the roof when the first crew of Poplar Bluff Firefighters arrived shortly after midnight, said Battalion Chief Stacy Harmon.

The alarm came in at 12:02 a.m. and the first two engines arrived 12:05 a.m. A third truck arrived at 12:06 a.m., Harmon said. Two other units arrived at 12:16 a.m. and 12:38 a.m. Five fire department vehicles and 11 firefighters responded.

Two additional off duty crews were called to return to work with one crew to assist at the fire and the second to standby for future incoming calls, Harmon said.

The structure, owned by Kieth Willcut of Fairdealing, was heavily damaged and three of the people who lived there are being assisted by the Red Cross.

Firefighters used 5,000 gallons of water on the building. They used the heat senor/thermal imaging camera and ventilation to make certain the fire was out.

Poplar Bluff Police Department and Municipal Utilities were at the scene. The building inspector was notified.