Fatal Fire Investigation Near Racine

Sunday morning, March 26, 2023, just before 7 a.m. Seneca District Firefighters were alerted to a structure fire west of Racine on 86 Highway. On arrival they located a large garage fully involved with fire. The structure was destroyed. Later Newton County Sheriff’s Deputies developed information that someone had been living in the garage. Fire investigators returned Tuesday to search the remnants of the building, and there they located human remains. The Newton County Coroner Dale Owens was summoned to the scene. The Missouri State Fire Marshals office responded to assist investigation of the fire, remaining on scene into the evening hours of Tuesday. No names have been released. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
KOAM-TV CBS 7 Joplin

Florissant Valley firefighter ensures special needs kids are enrolled in the ‘STARS’ program

Zach Krato is a Florissant Valley Fire District firefighter, husband, and dad who has spent over a decade serving as a first responder. Zach receives the FOX 2 Proud to Serve award in March 2023, including $500 from Brown & Brown Law Firm. In addition to being a valued firefighter, Zach has the added responsibility of implementing and training the district on the ‘STARS’ program. The STARS program was created along with Cardinal Glennon to create a registry of high risk pediatric patients in the community close to where they live, and better prepare and train first responders to know how to treat those individuals. STARS stands for Special Needs Tracking and Awareness. It’s a one-of-a-kind program designed to improve emergency response and emergency care for children who live with complex medical conditions.
KTVI-TV FOX 2 St. Louis

Ambulance response times are improving in rural Barry County

VIDEO: For residents in rural parts of Missouri, ambulance services can take some time to arrive. Mercy is working to change that. “It’s been an ongoing issue,” said Victoria Saldana. She says she’s worried about her elderly father getting emergency services in Seligman. “Every single time they’ve called, they have never shown up before 30 minutes,” she explained. Saldana says more should be done to get medical attention in rural Barry County. She said, “I understand that it’s a small area. It’s not like a big city, but at the same time, those people’s lives matter too.” Bob Patterson, director of ambulance services for Mercy, said, “It’s not like in a metropolitan area where you might have a five to six to seven minutes or less than eight minutes, 59 seconds, whatever your gold standard is. But in a rural environment, that can be more challenging.”
KYTV NBC 3 Springfield

Bates County water rescue saves 4 lives

A water rescue in Bates County on Monday, March 27, saved the lives of four people trapped in the Marais des Cygnes River. The Bates County Sheriff’s Office worked with the Butler Fire Department, Rich Hill Fire Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Conservation and Bates County EMS to rescue the four people trapped in the water. Butler Fire was able to use their boat to bring the four to shore, from which they were lifted up the cliff and moved to ambulances. One 85-year-old man was taken to a local hospital for treatment. The Bates County Sheriff’s Office said that several community members also helped assist local emergency services with the rescue and bringing the victims to emergency responders. “This is a great example of our agencies working together to bring a positive outcome,” said Bates County Sheriff Chad Anderson.
KOLR-TV CBS 10 Springfield

House fire near Downtown Joplin, active fire investigation

About 3:30 p.m., Monday, March 27, 2023, reports of smoke in the area of 3rd and S Pearl alerted Joplin Emergency 911. Joplin Fire, Joplin Police and METS ambulance responded. First officer on scene to, 221 S Pearl, told us he saw smoke as he arrived, which quickly turned to black smoke. It’s a two-story wood framed upstairs/downstairs duplex. Upstairs was unoccupied. With Joplin Fire Ladder 1 located 3 blocks away, they were on scene in minutes. Fire was under control and water was hitting hot spots during our live video of the event which was 20 minutes after the initial call. No residence was on scene. No firefighters were injured fighting the fire. We talked to Joplin Fire investigators at the scene and learn this is an active investigation.
KOAM-TV CBS 7 Joplin

Ebenezer fire truck narrowly escapes head-on collision

VIDEO: Fire crews narrowly escaped a head-on collision on a rural Missouri highway Friday afternoon. According to the Ebenezer Fire Protection District, the fire truck was traveling north on H Highway just north of State Highway AA after the crew had responded to a medical call. The fire district says the truck was traveling 53 mph in a 55 mph zone when a car passing traffic in the opposite lane nearly hit the fire truck. In a video posted by the district, you can hear tires screeching.
KYTV NBC 3 Springfield

Fordland man rescued from raging flood waters

Gary Fehr is one of many in the Ozarks who, in the last 72 hours, needed to be rescued from raging flood waters. He was driving to a construction job in Sparta, Mo., when he says his truck started to move downstream. “I’m watching the water just coming up inches in ten seconds time, so I realized I gotta get out,” said Fehr. “I saw what looked like some water in the road. But it just didn’t, you know, I could see all the signs, there are no parking signs. And all along there, I could see everything, and it just didn’t seem like a big deal.” But Fehr’s truck tells a different story, recovered early Saturday morning. Parts of it, like the glove box and center console, hold some raging currents that nearly claimed his life. “I’m just watching the water coming up, and I, at that point, I’m thinking, I know it’s not good odds to jump in,” said Fehr.
KYTV NBC 3 Springfield

Residents in Carthage received some free help and smoke alarms

Residents in Carthage got a hand up in house fire prevention, today. The American Red Cross of Southern Missouri partnered up with the Carthage Fire Department to provide and install free smoke alarms for those in need of them. The alarms were provided by the American Red Cross of Southern Missouri as a part of its National Sound the Alarm campaign. Not only did the fire department install the alarms, they also provided fire escape plans for families, unique to each house. Since July 1st of last year, the Red Cross of Southern Missouri has responded to more than 1,200 house fires, assisting of 4,000 people with recovery needs. Just today, 88 smoke alarms were installed in 29 Carthage homes. “House fires are the largest the number one disaster that the American Red Cross responds to nearly every night here in southern Missouri.
KODE-TV ABC 12 Joplin