Tag Archives: Missouri

Other - Retail, Retail

Jefferson City, MO – No one injured after commercial structure fire doused by sprinkler system

Jefferson City firefighters responded Tuesday night to fire in a commercial building on West Truman Boulevard.

The assistant fire chief says that by the time the firefighters arrived, all employees were accounted for, and there were no injuries.

A small fire was still burning inside when firefighters got there but, fortunately, the building’s fire sprinkler system kicked in and was able to control the flames, which were completely extinguished within about 10 minutes.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Place of Worship

Kansas City, MO – Sprinkler system extinguishes church arson fire set by racist vandal

Someone broke into a predominantly black church in south Kansas City early Sunday morning, starting a small fire and leaving the front doors and windows defaced with racist graffiti, according to law enforcement officials.  Members of Concord Fortress of Hope Church arrived in the morning to see the spray-painted graffiti, which included an ethnic slur directed at black people, the letters “KKK” and what appeared to be an attempt at making a swastika.

Inside the church, police found that someone had entered the building, broke into a vending machine and the church’s financial office, and lit a chair on fire.  The fire caused minimal damage before being extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, according to John Ham, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The ATF, which has jurisdiction over fires at houses of worship, is investigating the fire along with the Kansas City Police Department’s bomb and arson unit and investigators with the Kansas City Fire Department.  Kansas City Councilman Quinton Lucas tweeted out two photos of the graffiti, writing “Fools think they’re gonna keep us from worshiping this morning.”

Lucas also tweeted out a photo of the services saying, “Racist Vandals and arsonists not slowing down 8 a.m. service @concordhope church.”

Kansas City police were called to the church shortly before 7 a.m. Federal investigators think the break-in occurred between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. and that whoever committed the break-in also made the graffiti.

If the investigation shows that the vandalism of the church was a hate crime, the FBI will get involved, said Ham, the ATF spokesman. But, he said, the hate crime designation depends on the motive and the true motive behind the damage to the church is unclear.

The fire was very small and did not appear likely to cause much damage, Ham said. Investigators suspect the incident began as a break-in, and the fire could have been meant to cover that up.

“To our fire investigators that are on the scene, it looks to us like a fire that somebody started sort of with what they had available to cover up perhaps the break-in,” Ham said. “It did not really have much to work with from a fire perspective. The sprinkler system in the office where it was set did its job, knocked the fire out very, very quickly.”

More damage was caused by water from the sprinkler system.

Fires at places of worship happen less frequently than they used to, Ham said, but have historically posed a potent threat because churches are often the focal point of a community.

“An attack on a church or an attack on a congregation is really an attack on everyone,” Ham said.

Investigators have not identified any suspects and are hoping to find surveillance video that could help. However, it’s unclear if all the security cameras in the church were working properly at the time of the break-in.

The ATF is offering a $5,000 reward for information about the incident. Anyone with information can call the ATF at 1-888-283-3473.

Concord Fortress of Hope Church is at 11050 Longview Parkway.

“It’s kind of a remote area, so if you were driving by early this morning or late last night and you saw something happening here, it probably wasn’t supposed to be,” Ham said. “Every little piece of information helps us.”

In a phone interview later, Councilman Lucas said he saw the graffiti as he arrived to attend services Sunday.

“It’s heartbreaking. It’s a little disappointing to see something liked that in 2017. Folks should be able to come and worship without that sort of concern,” Lucas said. “We’ll keep praying and stay hopeful that this is the last time we have to see something like this with this church and that nobody else has to deal with it.”

Lucas said Pastor Ronald Lindsay said it well during the service when he told church members that they were not letting something negative define them.

“It ended up being an absolutely beautiful service,” Lucas said. “It reminded us how God exists in chaos and how we will basically continue on with the mission of the church.”

The church was founded in February 1987 when the Palestine Missionary Baptist Church of Jesus Christ voted for Concord Missionary Baptist Church of Jesus Christ to become an official organized church. The Rev. Ronald R. Lindsay was installed as the pastor, according to the church’s website.

After beginning at the YMCA at 63rd Street and Wornall Road, the church moved south to 107th Street in the Ruskin/Hickman Mills area. In 2006, the growing congregation moved to its current location.

Other / Not Specified

Rolla, MO – Kitchen fire at domestic violence shelter extinguished by sprinkler system

Rolla Fire and Rescue were dispatched to the Russell House at 3:57 p.m., Sunday afternoon, October 1 to control what has been described as a small grease fire in the kitchen.  “The fire was contained to the kitchen area,” said Chief Ron Smith. He explained the pan with the grease fire was put in the sink, which put the fire under the overhanging cabinets. The building has a sprinkler system which was activated and extinguished the fire.

“The water damage is extensive,” he said. “This happened on the first floor, so water damage extended down into the basement area. It severely damaged the sheet rock and false ceiling, so there was a lot of water damage to the building.” “The cabinets were scorched and there was extensive smoke damage in the kitchen,” he explained. Rolla Fire and Rescue firefighters helped to get the smoke out of the building and helped residents gather some belongings since staying at the Russell House was not an option, until cleanup and repairs can begin.

“There is significant water damage in some parts of the house,” said Randi Turntine, development and volunteer coordinator for Russell House, which offers emergency shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. “We had 53 residents in the shelter (28 women and 25 children ) and worked with the Red Cross to get them placed temporarily. We’re unsure at this point when we’ll be able to get back in.”  Turntine said the crises lines are still being managed 24/7, seven days a week. “We’re still able to work in this [crises] capacity—we just aren’t able to shelter anyone at this time,” she noted.

She said in a media statement that “We will work closely with other domestic and sexual assault shelters throughout the state to meet the needs of victims in our service area. We are thankful for the quick response from Rolla City Fire, neighboring shelters, the Red Cross, board members, and our staff members. The backbone of Russell House has always been the community support we receive, and last night was a perfect example of that. While this is a small bump in the road, our shelter will recover from this and continue to be a safe haven for victims of domestic and sexual abuse. All outreach offices in Phelps, Crawford, Maries, and Dent counties will remain open.”

“Also, we’re having a large event this Saturday night, the masquerade ball, and we want the public to know that it will continue to go on.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Osage Beach, MO – Electrical fire at resort hotel suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries and minimal damage reported

A worker was repairing an electrical circuit in the laundry area when a short resulted at the junction box where he was working. The power surge jumped to another electrical run which energized a nearby gas line, causing pin holes in the gas line and causing a fire. There was minimal damage resulting from a fire at the Inn at Grand Glaize about 2:07 p.m. Tuesday in Osage Beach.

A worker was repairing an electrical circuit in the laundry area when a short resulted at the junction box where he was working. The power surge jumped to another electrical run which energized a nearby gas line, causing pin holes in the gas line and causing a fire. The fire was held in place and extinguished by a fire sprinkler system.  There were no injuries to either fire personnel or employees.  Responding were fire personnel from Osage Beach, Lake Ozark, Sunrise Beach and Mid County.  Firefighters cleared the scene by 3:30 p.m.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Columbia, MO – Hallway fire at senior living center suppressed by sprinkler system

The Columbia Fire Department responded to a report of a fire alarm with smoke in a hallway at 3700 Lenoir St (Lenoir Senior Services) on Thursday.  The fire started on the stove of an unoccupied apartment had been extinguished by the automatic sprinkler system when crews got to the apartment. There were no reported injuries and damage was limited to the one apartment. Smoke and water damages are estimated at $15,000.  According to the official release, Assistant Fire Marshal Kyle Edwards investigated the fire and has ruled the fire accidental. The cause was a stove being inadvertently turned on, igniting combustibles being used to pack items for a move. No one was in the apartment at the time of the fire.

Other Business

Joplin, MO – Fire at uniform business held in check by sprinkler system; Spontaneous combustion cited as cause

A fire Wednesday night at the Clean The Uniform Co. plant in Joplin is believed to have been caused by spontaneous combustion of some rag materials.  The Joplin Fire Department responded to a 10:18 p.m. report of the fire at 1609 E. Falcon St. and found fire in the center of the floor near an industrial washer and dryer.  The building’s fire alarm and sprinkler system had been activated before the arrival of firefighters, who put the fire out and were on the scene until 11:48 p.m. The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.  The Webb City Fire Department also responded to the fire and assisted at the scene.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

St. Louis, MO – Sprinkler system stops spread of overnight fire at linen company

A Soulard business where three employees died after a piece of a water tank crashed through the ceiling in April was damaged by a fire overnight.

Around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters were called to the Faultless Linen Company in the 2000 block of South Broadway.

Further investigation revealed a hopper filled with linens was hanging from a conveyor belt when it caught fire. Workers reportedly left the building Tuesday around 11 p.m., which led investigators to believe the fire started between then and 2 a.m.

The building’s smoke alarm notified the fire department of the blaze.

The building’s sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading until it could be knocked down.

No other details regarding the fire have been released.

Other Business

Branson, MO – Early morning fire at theater contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A Branson police officer heard popping sounds coming from the back of the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway overnight and when fire crews arrived, they found flames shooting out of the backstage area. Branson Fire Chief Ted Martin tells KTTS News the call came in around 2 a.m. and three fire departments responded.

He says the fire started stage left in a 12 by 12 area where there’s a lot of support equipment, including radios, battery chargers, power strips and extension cords. Martin says the sprinkler system kept the fire contained.

There’s smoke throughout the building, and crews have spent the morning trying to ventilate the smoke and they’ll be working with restoration companies to use dehumidifiers to get the moisture out of the stage props and the stage deck, and remove the smoke odor. Martin says the theatre should be able to re-open in a few days.   The fire is accidental, and Martin says they haven’t been able to rule out an electrical short.  No one was hurt.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

De Soto, MO – Overnight fire at residential care facility extinguished by sprinkler system

A small fire Wednesday night (May 17) at the Villas residential care facility in De Soto led to the evacuation of about 35 residents, the De Soto Fire Department reported. At 11:32 p.m., the fire department got a call about an alarm sounding at the facility, 1550 Villa Drive, Fire Chief Craig Block said.  When firefighters arrived at 11:40 p.m., they found light smoke showing in the building, he said.

“Upon further investigation, they found there was a fire in a storage room, but the sprinkler system had put it out,” Block said. “We have an updated sprinkler system and a current digital alarm,” said Beverly Rector, administrator for the Villas.

Because of the fire and smoke, a second alarm was struck and firefighters from the De Soto Rural, Hematite, Hillsboro, Festus and R-7 fire protection districts responded to the scene and helped with the evacuation. They also were joined by emergency medical personnel from Valle, North Jefferson, Joachim-Plattin and Rock Township ambulance districts, Block said. Rector said people were already being evacuated when emergency responders arrived at the facility.

“We evacuated the entire campus to safe zones on the property,” she said. Residents were evacuated to the parking lot of the facility.  Meanwhile, firefighters ventilated the building to remove the smoke, Block said.  One patient, who complained about being injured during the evacuation, was transported to an area hospital, Block said.  The state Fire Marshal’s Office was called in and determined the fire was accidental, Block said.  “We still don’t have a report on the cause of the fire,” he said.

Residents were back in their rooms at about 12:45 a.m., Block said. He said safeguards in the building stopped the situation from becoming worse.  “Luckily, the sprinkler system did its job,” Block said.  Rector said staff at the Villas were grateful to the emergency responders.  “The fire department and EMS should be commended,” she said. “They have our gratitude. They were quick and helpful and efficient in the process.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Hannibal, MO – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in early morning fire at rubber plant

An early Monday morning fire at Buckhorn Rubber Plant in Hannibal was ruled accidental in nature, according to Hannibal fire investigators. Hannibal Fire Department said crews were called to the plant at 3:39 a.m. for a report of a machine on fire.  HFD Investigator Mark Kempker said when firefighters arrived workers were outside the building and the fire had set off the building’s sprinkler system.  Kempker said it took firefighters about 10 minutes to put the fire out completely.  Crews stayed on scene for about an hour.  Following an investigation, Kempker said the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in the control panel of a machine.