By Robert A. Cronkleton
The Kansas City Star
CAMERON, Mo. — A massive fire destroyed multiple buildings that housed businesses and apartments Tuesday in downtown Cameron, Missouri, a spokesman for Cameron Police and Emergency Management said in a post on Facebook.
“This was likely the largest structure fire to occur in Cameron in the past 20 years,” wrote Capt. Ryan O’Boyle with the Cameron Police Department in the post. There were no reported injuries or fatalities in the blaze.
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At about 2 p.m. Tuesday, a caller reported a fire in the 100 block of W. 3rd Street in the small city of about 8,500 residents, about an hour northeast of Kansas City along Interstate 35, O’Boyle wrote.
First responders arrived within two minutes, followed by the first fire crews from the Cameron Fire Department minutes later, O’Boyle wrote.
Firefighters from several additional fire departments battled the blaze, preventing it from spreading further. Along with the Cameron Fire Department, firefighters from the St. Joseph Fire Department, Central DeKalb Fire Department, Union Star Fire Department, Clarksdale Fire Department, Stewartsville Fire Department, Osborn Fire Department and KAW Fire District responded to the fire.
Cameron’s utility and street crews helped with the incident, while additional law enforcement agencies provided traffic control and barricades to keep people at a safe distance, O’Boyle wrote.
Because of the size of the fire and the extent of the damage, a coordinated response was needed that involved firefighters, law enforcement, city crews and support agencies from across the region, O’Boyle wrote.
The American Red Cross was assisting those displaced by the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, O’Boyle said in the post.
“Incidents of this magnitude cannot be managed by one department alone, and this response highlighted just how essential regional partnerships are to protecting lives and property,” O’Boyle wrote.
The Cameron Area Chamber of Commerce said in a post on Facebook that the businesses affected by the fire are the fabric of the city, saying that while the road ahead will not be easy, the community stands together in support.
“Our hearts are heavy as the impact of the fire on 3rd Street continues,” the chamber wrote. “We are keeping the business owners, employees and families affected in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time.”
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