Three Firefighters Injured in DeSoto House Fire, Two Hospitalized

DeSoto, Mo. (KFMO)  - Three firefighters were injured Monday morning while battling a house fire in DeSoto.

At approximately 2 a.m. Monday, September 7, the DeSoto Fire Department responded to a call for an unknown fire in the area of North 9th Street near Stewart Street. The DeSoto Police Department arrived shortly after the call and reported a structure fire. The responding pumper requested an upgrade to a structure response.

Upon arrival, firefighters encountered an advanced fire at the home and began an interior attack as additional units responded.

Approximately 25 minutes after arriving, crews were inside the living room, working to open the ceiling for fire attack, when a large portion of the ceiling collapsed. The collapse involved drywall, secondary ceiling 2x4s, plaster and lath, chicken wire, and a large number of bricks from a discontinued chimney.

The collapse temporarily trapped three firefighters. Other crews immediately began rescue efforts. Two were transported to local hospitals, while the third was evaluated at the scene by Valle Ambulance.

One firefighter has since been released and is home resting with a broken tailbone and strained neck muscles. The second firefighter has been admitted for observation and additional testing for a back injury. The fire was ultimately upgraded to a second alarm, with an additional ambulance requested because of the collapse.

The fire department said crews performed flawlessly given the situation and thanked the many mutual aid agencies that responded to assist and backfill stations to cover other calls.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.