[Press Release] : City of Columbia Missouri Information Request

[Press Releases]

For Immediate Release:
Residential Structure Fire Displaces Owner

Columbia Fire Fighters were called at 11:48 am on Thursday, February 24, 2011, to 1810 Brandeis Ct for a reported residential structure fire.

Fire crews arrived on the scene and found heavy smoke and flames coming through the roof of the structure. The homeowner, John McMinn, along with his dog and two cats, were in the structure at the time of the fire. McMinn stated he was in his room watching TV when he heard what sounded like things falling off the shelves; then his smoke detectors sounded. As he exited the structure with his dog he noted fire in the sunroom.

Fire crews used several hose lines and the elevated streams from a Ladder Truck to knock down the fire which took approximately 20 minutes. Crews then spent the remainder of their time on scene overhauling, and searching for hidden fire. Crews used salvage covers to protect many of McMinn’s belongings; some of which were moved to a next door neighbor’s garage. One of McMinn’s cats was later located alive by fire crews, but the second did not survive the fire

The cause of the fire remains under investigation but fire investigators have issued a initial damage estimate of $250,000.00. There were also no injuries to residents or fire personnel as a result of this fire.

The Columbia Fire Department wants to remind residents that working smoke alarms do save lives. Test your smoke alarms at least once a month by pressing the test button. Replace smoke alarm batteries at least once a year. Replace smoke alarms every 10 years. To ensure adequate protection, place smoke alarms in every sleeping room, and in a common area on every floor. If you can not afford a smoke alarm, call the Columbia Fire Department at 573-874-7556 to schedule an appointment to have free smoke alarms installed. For residences who need assistance in checking their smoke alarms, they can also contact the Columbia Fire Department.
							###


The information you have requested is available for download (or will be within the 10 minutes from the time this message was sent) from the City of Columbia Information Distribution System at 

 http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/webapps/retrieval/retrieval.php?info=ede1e2bd3631271277250188bce67f5b2a1cee102872616926596bc260d9d4061132aa9cedfec04ace7aa2faf7bc266871f353167fb60bb2eda3c494131592f554ad76cfcf9e26e34b45acfe1a73f50b201d395da05ff83bc7eead0aaec51e34260765474603d9ce61eebc132dd992237208261b8a6a843b7396fb4e3470b2cb

(To save the file, click on the link and select 'Save Target/Link As...'. If your email client does not dispay the URL as a link, you will need to copy the entire link and paste it into your browser. Please note the URL is long and may wrap around onto multiple lines.) 

You will have access to this information for the next 3 days.