City crews battle three days of suspicious fires

The Missouri State Fire Marshal currently is investigating three Poplar Bluff fires which occurred on consecutive days, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The latest of the alarms sounded at 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, when 10 firefighters responded to a building fire in the location of the former Doctors Regional Medical Center, 600 block of W. Pine Blvd.

According to the report by Battalion Chief Jeff Hale, crews from each of the three stations were at the scene. While one crew was laying a water supply line, other firefighters located an area where smoke was coming from boarded up windows on the first floor. They pried off the plywood and found the fire was mostly contained in one room.

After extinguishing the fire using 400 gallons of water, crews searched the building for occupants or additional fire, nothing was found. Hale contacted the state fire marshal and stayed until he arrived.

The portion of the building where there was smoke has three floors above grade and one below. The structure has a total of 85,020 square feet. The building is vacant and unsecured, according to reports from firefighters.

According to Hale’s report, items contributing to the spread of fire were rubbish, trash and waste.

The structure is owned by Landmark 4 LLC, Branson, Missouri.

The firefighters at the scene were Tyler Daggett, Dustin Graves, Tyler Gutterman, Jeffrey L. Hale, Justin Maddock, Jonathan Miller, Justin Moyers, Travis Taylor, Jamie Watson and Chief Mike Moffitt.

Also at the scene was Poplar Bluff police, Butler County EMS and Spire Gas.

At 7:53 p.m. Tuesday, eight firefighters in three apparatus responded to a motor home fire at 2735 Fair St. near Commerce Street.

Lt. Joshua Buhler’s report stated the fire department was dispatched to a structure fire involving a travel trailer. The white Keystone Laredo Travel Trailer was 8 feet wide by 35 feet long.

The firefighters used 1,100 gallons of water to put out the fire.

During the time firefighters were battling the blaze, Butler County Sheriff’s Department reported a male subject was at a local station stating he was run out of his camper and subjects burned it down.

James Hancock is the owner of the trailer. Occupants of the front residence are Stephen Davis and Roxie Lax.

Spire Gas, Municipal Utilities, Butler County EMS, the fire marshal and Poplar Bluff Police Criminal Investigation Division were at the scene.

On Monday, according to Battalion Chief Kevin Edgar’s report, the fire crew was returning to quarters when they noticed a large plume of smoke at 803 Henderson Ave. They drove to the location to find a single story vacant structure with heavy smoke coming from the eaves and roof. A second and third crew arrived a short time later bringing the total to nine firefighters at the scene.

They used 500 gallons of water to put out the blaze as well as a thermal imaging camera to make certain the fire was out.

Firefighters were Steven R. Burkhead, Jeremy Downing, Edgar, Bradley Jones, Cade Lowe, Eric Mierisch, John Robison, Joseph Somers and Adam Yeley.