By Brennan David
The Columbia Daily Tribune
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A Thursday morning electrical fire in north Columbia resulted in $200,000 in damages to a home, then flared back up later in the day, bringing fire crews back to the scene.
Columbia fire crews arrived at 5107 Hatteras Drive soon after the fire was reported around 10:54 a.m., according to a department news release. Black smoke was coming from the rear of the single-story home with a walk-out basement.
The home’s owner, Jeremy Spillman, told fire investigators he was outside for a few minutes when he returned inside to find thick smoke. Spillman was able to evacuate two dogs and call for help, but a pet bird did not survive.
Crews knocked down the fire in about 30 minutes. An interior stairway to the basement collapsed during their efforts, which compromised the integrity of the first floor, the news release said.
Around 4 p.m., smoke was reported coming from the home’s eaves. Firefighters were on the way back to the home for a follow-up inspection and saw the smoke as they approached. They attacked the fire from the outside of the structure because of the earlier damage, and the roof was significantly damaged. It took about 15 minutes to get the fire under control.
The smoldering occurred despite three hours of overhaul work after the initial fire response. An investigator determined the second fire likely started above the first-floor ceiling.
“This is a good example of why we return to the scene of a significant fire to follow up on the structure’s condition. We fight fire very aggressively but have to balance property conservation at the same time,” Fire Capt. John Metz said in a news release. “We have to balance the destructive nature of overhauling the fire damage to put the fire out while trying to save as much property for the homeowner. On very rare occasions, something like this can happen.”
Fire investigator Lt. Shawn McCollom concluded that the initial fire started in the basement and was electrical in nature. The home was not habitable. Spillman told authorities he would be staying with Columbia relatives.
Copyright 2012 ProQuest Information and Learning
All Rights Reserved
ProQuest SuperText
Copyright 2012 The Columbia Daily Tribune