Entire Wentzville apartment building evacuated after catching fire

An entire apartment building in Wentzville was evacuated after the building went up in flames overnight. According to the Wentzville Fire Department, crews received the call around 2:45 a.m. at 109 St. Charles Street. It was reported that even a MoDOT camera could see the flames and smoke. Upon arrival, crews were met with heavy fire coming from the second floor of the building. The apartment building had eight total units, four on each floor. The heavier damage was contained to the second floor. This building is equipped with a firewall, but it was breached. The fire department says everyone inside was evacuated safely and no firefighters were injured. Investigators are working to learn the cause of the fire.
KMOV-TV CBS 4 St. Louis

City of St. Louis looking to make $4M upgrade to emergency siren system

VIDEO: The City of St. Louis is planning to modernize its 60 emergency system sirens within city limits. Sarah Russell from the Commission of Emergency Management for the City of St. Louis says not all of the sirens are properly functioning. “I can tell you that we have one that we’ve been trying to get replaced because it was knocked off a pole, so there is at least one that is not working,” Russell said. “There are a couple of others that had some components that were damaged.” Not only does the current system look dated, but the aging technology comes with another set of challenges as well. “We don’t get a system response back to us. It doesn’t respond to us and tell us how it is performing, which is very difficult to be able to tell how a system is performing when it doesn’t tell you that,” Russell said.
KTVI-TV FOX 2 St. Louis

Kansas City firefighters help family after car wrecks into home

PHOTOS: Firefighters went above their job descriptions to help a metro family. The Kansas City firefighters responded a call Tuesday evening near E. 3rd and Jackson. When they arrived, they found the driver of a white car lost control and crashed into a house. The impact heavily damaged the porch. Firefighters checked to make sure no one involved in the incident needed emergency medical care. The emergency responders then traded in fire hoses and helmets for saws and hammers. According to the department, the firefighters shored up the porch roof to make sure it would be safe enough for the family to continue living in the home until permanent repairs are made.
KCTV CBS 5 Kansas City

Church total loss after fire in Doniphan, Fire Marshal investigating

PHOTOS: Crews were called to an early morning church fire in Doniphan, Missouri. According to Doniphan Fire Chief Brian Byrd, crews were called out at 4:13 a.m. on Wednesday, April 24 to a report of a fire at the United Methodist Church on Plum Street. When they arrived, flames could be seen coming out of the church. The Doniphan Fire Department had four engines on the scene and mutual aid from across Ripley County. Chief Byrd said the church is a total loss. No injuries have been reported. As of 8:40 a.m., crews remained on the scene putting out hot spots. Chief Byrd said the State Fire Marshal arrived on the scene and is investigating. According to Chief Byrd, part of the church was built in the 1800s.
KFVS-TV 12 CBS Cape Girardeau

St. Louis Firefighters describe methodical process to save life of boy pinned between two cars

VIDEO: A 9-year-old boy remains hospitalized after being hit by a truck and pinned between two vehicles on Sunday morning. Tuesday, we learned more about how the St. Louis Fire Department got the boy free. The family of Codi Walker tells us while the car was parked, the boy went to the back of a van to grab a toy and that’s when a black truck slammed into the back of the van, pinning the child. According to the St. Louis Fire Department, it took around 25 minutes to rescue Codi Walker because they couldn’t immediately separate the two vehicles. That’s because, according to Chief Dennis Jenkerson, if they separated the vehicles too quickly, the child could have lost his life. “Not a matter of taking a chain and pulling the car out, we have to make sure we’re able to see the entire victim and make sure everything is good to separate these parts,” said Chief Jenkerson.
KMOV-TV CBS 4 St. Louis

Fire destroys home in rural Iron County

A large fire destroyed a rural Missouri home Monday afternoon in Iron County, though no one was hurt in the fire. Crews responded to the fire in the 100 block of Lake Drive around 1 p.m. Monday. More than 10 agencies, including the Pilot Knob Fire Protection District, assisted in putting out the blaze. Firefighters were able to utilize a nearby lake as a source of water to control the fire. Investigators say the fire damaged a 1,200-square foot home and required “sufficient manpower” to control. No injuries were reported in the fire, though it’s not quite clear what caused it at this time.
KTVI-TV FOX 2 St. Louis