PERRYVILLE — A ranch-style home in rural Perryville was destroyed by fire early Monday morning.
Assistant Fire Chief Bill Jones said the first call came in about 12:32 a.m. and stated that a fire in a basement wood stove may have ignited combustibles in the basement, but he couldn’t be sure because of the amount of destruction. He said the basement had about three feet of water in it that accumulated during the fire fight.
The fire spread to the floor above the stove and then went through the ceiling into the rafters, eventually penetrating the roof in three places.
That was the scene as firefighters arrived.
Eventually the fire consumed the home located at 8864 North Highway 61.
Chief Jones said there were four or five persons in the home, but they were all able to get out safely.
He did not know how the residents learned of the fire.
He said if there were smoke alarms in the house, they were destroyed.
Firefighters from Chester and St. Mary responded to assist Perryville in battling the blaze. Chester brought a pumper tanker and St. Mary brought a tanker which were needed due to the lack of fire hydrants in the area.
Sub-freezing temperatures proved a problem for the firefighters with ice accumulating on the ground as well as on the firefighters’ equipment. Chief Jones says the department takes precautions to keep their equipment working when temperatures are below freezing.
The fire fighters returned to the firehouses about 4:05 a.m.