An early-morning fire Tuesday at a Warrenton apartment building is considered suspicious and remains under investigation, according to Warrenton Fire Chief Mike Owenby. He said his department and the …
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An early-morning fire Tuesday at a Warrenton apartment building is considered suspicious and remains under investigation, according to Warrenton Fire Chief Mike Owenby.
He said his department and the state fire marshal’s office have not determined the cause of the fire which started in the basement storage area of an eight-unit apartment complex in the 100 block of Granada.
No one was injured in the fire which was reported at 3:52 a.m.
One unit was completely destroyed in the fire, and the other apartments suffered significant smoke damage according to fire officials. The fire displaced tenants living in four units on the eastern side of the building.
Owenby noted that all accidental causes have been ruled out. There is a possibility the fire may have been intentionally set, he added.
“We’re treating this as a suspicious fire,” Owenby said. “It is currently under investigation.”
The fire spread to a first-floor apartment occupied by April Smith and her daughter. She said she was sleeping when she heard a noise and then noticed smoke filling her apartment. She then ran outside yelling to wake up and alert the other tenants.
“I heard something and saw smoke coming from the vent,” said Smith, who was trying to salvage what she could Tuesday. “I was like, ‘We’re on fire.’ It took everything I owned.”
While some tenants speculated the fire may have been electrical in nature, Owenby said that source was ruled out during the initial investigation.
“There was nothing in the area or origin indicating anything accidental,” he said.
Owenby said anyone with information related to the fire can call 636-456-8935 or 1-800-39-ARSON.
Jennifer Haas, who owns the apartment building, said the basement had storage space for each unit and separate washer and dryer hookups. She was glad to see everyone escape safely.
Crews were on the scene for about 5 1/2 hours, Owenby said. Firefighters from Wright City, Marthasville and Wentzville responded to the scene.
Owenby complimented his firefighters first on the scene who knocked the flames down and kept the fire from spreading into other units and possibly causing more damage.
“The quick work by the initial attack team made a big, big difference,” he said. “Those guys did a great job. Getting water on it made a big difference.”
