The smell of smoke was still heavy in the air Monday morning along 1700 South Broadway near Victor Street where fire destroyed two wooden structures and a portion of Quality Tech Transmission Saturday night. State fire investigators say the cause is under criminal investigation.
Nobody was injured and the transmission repair shop was already back in business by early Monday a.m.
“We’re open for business and we’re just cleaning up and getting our repairs done that we need,’’ said Steve Fuchs, the owner of the building where the transmission repair shop is located. “The main part of the business was saved by the Poplar Bluff Fire Department. “They did an absolutely fantastic job.”
The city’s fire department had 18 men at the scene of the blaze, which was reported at 7:18 p.m. Saturday night, Chief Ralph Stucker said. The fire is believed to have started in an outhouse behind 316 W. Victor and spread to the main residence and the roof of Quality Tech Transmission, he said.
“When our first truck pulled up, the shed was pretty much on the ground,’’ Stucker said.
Flames had consumed the eastern part of the transmission building but firefighters worked to save the main portion of the business, according to Fuchs.
“The portion that was burning, they brought it under control and they kept it from spreading into the larger portion of the building that we use every day,’’ said Fuchs, who said 6,000 square feet was saved. The fire destroyed about 2,000 square feet of the building, he said.
Firefighters battled the blaze for about three and a half hours, with the last unit clearing the scene at 10:52 p.m. Stucker remained at the scene for several hours longer while an investigator for the Missouri Division of Fire Safety looked for the cause, which is still under investigation.
“The Broadway fire remains under criminal investigation at this time,’’ said Mike O’Connell, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Public Safety. “There’s nothing to share at this time.’’
“I’d like to give a big shoutout to our guys,’’ Stucker said. “The guys made some great decisions off the bat and they were able to contain and control it really in a pretty quick timeframe. All of our guys did a tremendous job.”
The house at 316 W. Victor was rental property owned by Joe Greenwall, who learned about the fire from a friend who saw it on Facebook. The occupant was in the process of moving and no one was home at the time of the fire, Stucker said. Investigators are still trying to interview the house’s single resident, he said.
According to the fire department’s report on the blaze, 25,000 gallons of water were used to extinguish the fire. Butler County EMS stayed on scene in the event a firefighter was injured, according to Stucker.