[Press Release] : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: **UPDATE**Two Alarm Fire Destroys Business

[Press Releases]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Battalion Chief Brad Fraizer
Duty PIO Pager 573-441-6608 (For Active Emergency Incidents - Leave detailed message)
Office 573-874-7557 (M-F, 8-5)


**UPDATE**Two Alarm Fire Destroys Business

COLUMBIA, MO (January 2, 2013) - 
 

**Update**

 

The area of origin for the December 20 fire at 1310 Indiana Avenue, Sound Performance, is determined to be the northeast corner of the building.  The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.

 

Employees of the business stated an unintentional fire occurred earlier that day, was extinguished and re-kindled later that afternoon in a work room located in the area of origin. 

 

Battalion Chief Brad Fraizer stated 'While the fire that occurred earlier in the day cannot be ruled out as the cause, multiple pieces of energized equipment in the area of origin at the time of the event cannot be ruled out either.'

The investigation is ongoing.  Three Lieutenants from the Columbia Fire Department's Fire Marshal's Division conducted seventeen interviews, consulted with the State Fire Marshal's Division and spent numerous hours on-site performing this investigation.

###

On Thursday, December 20th, at 10:12 p.m. the Columbia Fire Department responded to a reported commercial structure fire at Sound Performance, located at 1310 Indiana Avenue.

While fire crews were en route, Public Safety Joint Communications advised that they had originally received a police alarm from Sound Performance but when officers arrive on the scene, they found heavy smoke coming from the building.

Firefighters arrived on the scene at 10:17 p.m. and found fire and smoke coming from a garage door on the south side of the 6000 square foot building. Firefighters entered the building to attack the fire but encountered heavy fire conditions and were forced to back out. As the firefighters exited the building, fire broke through the roof of the single story building.  At 10:37 the incident commander requested a second alarm, bringing three additional fire engines and an air resupply truck to the scene.  Because the building was no longer safe to enter, firefighters attacked the fire from the outside with hose lines and aerial ladders. It took approximately one hour to bring the fire under control.

Fire crews will remain at the scene overnight and fire investigators will return to the scene early Friday morning. It is too early to determine a cause of the fire and an accurate dollar loss cannot be assigned until the business owner and building owner can assess the damage. The building appears to be a total loss and it is believed total damages will exceed $300,000. Marc Schumer owns the business and Richard Erickson owns the building.

25 firefighters, six fire engines, a ladder truck, and a rescue squad responded to the blaze. Despite below freezing temperatures and a steady 17 mph wind, there were no injuries. 

 

Photos are attached to this release.


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