Fire Destroys Two-Story Residence in Wildwood

The Monarch Fire Protection District and a number of other area public safety agencies spent Tuesday morning battling a fire that gutted a house in Wildwood. 

A neighbor and someone driving by noticed the blaze at around 8 a.m. and by the time the first fire crews arrived it was "fully involved." The term means that the fire and smoke had spread throughout the entire two-story structure. 

The extent of the flames meant firefighters had to begin with a defensive attack and were unable to actually enter the house, according to Fire Marshal Roger Herin. 

Making the situation even more challenging, there were no fire hydrants located in the area, so tankers had to shuttle in water. Despite this, Herin said firefighters managed to wrestle the fire into submission in roughly the same time it would have taken had hydrants been present. 

The origin of the fire was not immediately known, but Herin said the St. Louis County Bomb and Arson Squad has been called in to investigate, due to the magnitude of the blaze.