[Press Release] : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Attic Fire Damages St Andrews Church at 914 West Blvd South

[Press Releases]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Battalion Chief Steven Sapp, Fire Marshal
(573) 874-7557  Office  M-F  8-5
(573) 499-7035  Media Pager - Enter number you wish called, no voice mail on pager please.

Attic Fire Damages St Andrews Church at 914 West Blvd South

COLUMBIA, MO (June 4, 2012) - At 4:17 PM on Monday, June 4, 2012, the Columbia Fire Department responded to a automatic fire alarm at 914 West Blvd South, St. Andrews Lutheran Church.

A single fire company, as is protocol to dispatch to fire alarms, arrived on the scene and found a smoke odor inside the church. The building is currently undergoing extensive renovations including a new addition.

At 4:48 PM, the fire crew on the scene was able to locate smoldering insulation and roof trusses in the attic of a portion of the new addition. A small area of fire was also noted in the attic. The fire crew requested additional assistance and 2 engines, a ladder, and two staff vehicles were dispatched to assist.

Fire crews eventually found two small areas of fire in the attic and extinguished them with minimal water use. Crews also noted smoldering insulation in several areas of the attic space in the new addition.

Fire crews were forced to pull ceiling materials and remove insulation from the attic to ensure there were no additional hot spots or smoldering insulation.

Due to the extreme heat, fire crews were rotated in an out of tasks to ensure that they had time to remain hydrated and cool down.

Fire crews wrapped up operations shortly after 6:30 PM. During the incident, West Blvd between Sunset and Stadium Blvd was closed to traffic. Columbia Police assisted with traffic control. West Blvd was open to traffic just before 7:00 PM.

Fire investigators believe the fires and smolder insulation was caused with recessed ceiling lights came in contact with blown insulation. No damage estimates are available currently.

No one was injured during the incident. One church employee was in the church as were several construction workers when the incident occurred.

 

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