DITTMER, MO (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
Firefighters turned to something one chief said worked better than water in a desperate attempt to save a Jefferson County home Saturday. Six departments responded shortly after 10 A.M. on East Forest Hill just off of Highway 30 in the Dittmer area. It still wasn't enough to save the house.
"[The fire] was rolling pretty good for the crews...when they first arrived they found heavy fire over the garage, made an attack on that, knocked it down," said Assistant Chief, Greg Schuster of the Cedar Hill Fire Protection District.
He said a neighbor noticed all the smoke and called for help. The fire triggered a second alarm. Firefighters from High Ridge, Rural DeSoto, Hillsboro, St. Clair, and Pacific, joined those from Cedar Hill. A dog wandered up to the scene and tried to get into the house, but there was no sign of the owner. Schuster said no one was home; the cause was still under investigation but appeared to be accidental, not suspicious.
"It appears to have started in the bedroom area above the garage," Schuster said.
The fire was so far advanced when firefighters arrived that they tried using foam instead of water to quickly knock down the flames. It worked. The fire was under control within an hour.
"What it does," Schuster said, "it takes water, foam solution, along with air and it breaks down the water tension; allows it to ... stick to the walls and also to penetrate the wood for a knockdown."
"With the help of that foam, firefighters managed to keep the flames contained to one section of the house. But sadly, with smoke and water damage throughout, they said the house was still a total loss.
"[The fire] was rolling pretty good for the crews...when they first arrived they found heavy fire over the garage, made an attack on that, knocked it down," said Assistant Chief, Greg Schuster of the Cedar Hill Fire Protection District.
He said a neighbor noticed all the smoke and called for help. The fire triggered a second alarm. Firefighters from High Ridge, Rural DeSoto, Hillsboro, St. Clair, and Pacific, joined those from Cedar Hill. A dog wandered up to the scene and tried to get into the house, but there was no sign of the owner. Schuster said no one was home; the cause was still under investigation but appeared to be accidental, not suspicious.
"It appears to have started in the bedroom area above the garage," Schuster said.
The fire was so far advanced when firefighters arrived that they tried using foam instead of water to quickly knock down the flames. It worked. The fire was under control within an hour.
"What it does," Schuster said, "it takes water, foam solution, along with air and it breaks down the water tension; allows it to ... stick to the walls and also to penetrate the wood for a knockdown."
"With the help of that foam, firefighters managed to keep the flames contained to one section of the house. But sadly, with smoke and water damage throughout, they said the house was still a total loss.
