A major fire devastated the city of Wooldridge on Saturday as a number of other fires burned across the area and state.
The fire in Wooldridge, which is in Cooper County, started when a combine ignited a field it was harvesting, according to a deputy.
Della Miller, 6, plays with her toys Saturday while her parents watch the smoke from the fire north of Wooldridge. Della celebrated her sixth birthday on Friday.
Russell Schmidt, Cooper County Fire Protection District assistant chief, said some people were treated for burns, but no one died. The whole town was evacuated, and many of the evacuees gathered at Fire Station 3.
On Sunday morning, Jim Gann, a spokesperson for the Cooper County Fire District, said at a news conference that 3,000 to 3,500 acres burned and 20 to 25 buildings burned or had damage. The American Red Cross is assisting 10 families that were displaced from the fires.
Firefighters are working this morning to keep hot spots under control with more high winds in the forecast this afternoon.
Gann said that the fire is 100% contained but subject to flare-ups.
The fire also spread into lands belonging to the the Big Muddy Fish and Wildlife Refuge, according to a joint news release from Cooper County Agencies.
Stephen Derendinger, an engineer with the Jamestown Rural Fire Protection District, said half the town is burnt.
“It’s devastated,” Derendinger said.
Crews pumped water from pools to combat the flames that lingered in Wooldridge. They were able to save the Wooldridge Baptist Church building, post office and the Wooldridge Community Club.
According to a tweet from the Missouri Division of Fire Safety, crews from Cooper County, Jamestown, California, Howard County, Boone County, Clifton and Otterville all responded to the fire. At least 1,600 acres were at risk from the fire, including private land and conservation areas, said Mike O’Connell, the communications director for the Missouri Department of Public Safety.
As of 8 p.m. Saturday, the fire in Wooldridge was mostly contained. Schmidt confirmed Greis Trucking and Excavating Co., out of Boonville, was bringing bulldozers and equipment to assist the Missouri Department of Conservation to prevent the spread of the fire.
O’Connell said many departments coming together to assist was key in containing the fire.
James Stewart walks his dog on Saturday in Wooldridge. Stewart was headed to town in hopes of getting help.
Tim Taylor, a retired firefighter who was helping on the scene, confirmed most of the fire spread north toward Interstate 70, pushed by the wind.
According to MoDOT Central District, I-70 was closed going both directions as of 6:45 p.m. Saturday as smoke on the highway gave drivers little to no visibility. Eastbound traffic was rerouted through Boonville, while westbound traffic was rerouted through New Franklin and Boonville.
As of 8:15 p.m., both east and westbound lanes of I-70 were reopened. In a tweet, the Missouri State Highway Patrol warned drivers to “slow down and increase your following distance as a large volume of traffic will be coming through soon.”
A firefighter on the scene said construction on the I-70 Missouri River Bridge would be halted and that all of the construction equipment would be removed from the bridge.
The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency activated Emergency Support Functions at Level 3 to respond to the situation, O’Connell said. Emergency Support Functions at Level 3 mean a partial activation. It requires state command staff, basic support functions — including planning and logistics — and specified state agencies, depending on the threat, O’Connell said. In this case, the activation included transportation and fire services, the highway patrol and law enforcement to control traffic on I-70 and concentrate support to deal with the situation.
O’Connell said their main goal was to “keep people out of trying to travel that route because of terrible visibility.”
An aerial photo of the fire from a patrol helicopter on Saturday.
The Division of Fire Safety warned of dangerous fire conditions over the weekend in a tweet Saturday morning, citing several natural cover fires that occurred in northeast counties of the state Friday. The National Weather Service also issued a red flag warning for significant fire danger across more than 20 counties in the southeastern corner of the state.
Additionally, a call came in around 3:30 p.m. for a fast-growing grass fire off of North Roby Farm Road near Rocheport. Several homes and a church were damaged, but no injuries were reported.
Columbia
A fire in a field on Blue Ridge Road between Rangeline Street and Providence Road was estimated to have burned 60 acres of heavy brush and timber, according to a Facebook post from the Columbia Fire Department.
One firefighter was being treated for heat-related issues, said acting Fire Chief Clayton Farr Jr. There was no update on that firefighter’s condition as of 3:45 p.m.
The Boone County Fire Protection District was at the scene providing assistance. Crews were trying to keep the fire from crossing Providence and Blue Ridge roads and began a controlled burn at the field’s northern edge.
The closest building is a Dunkin’ coffee shop and Baskin-Robbins at the southwest corner of Blue Ridge Road and Rangeline Street.
Volunteer firefighter McKinzie Elliott looks at the fire on Saturday in Wooldridge. This is Elliott’s first-ever fire.
Boone County Joint Communications asked people not to burn due to a fire hazard resulting from dry and windy conditions. Farr said drought conditions, as well as heat and winds, definitely contributed to the fire. A cause has not yet been determined.
“Don’t do any type of activities that could spark a fire,” O’Connell said.
He added that even driving on dry grass, which is common in rural areas, can spark a fire.
A separate outdoor fire near Columbia’s south side burned roughly 35 acres of grass and brush Friday.
Firefighters attempt to put out a fire Saturday in Wooldridge. Firefighters on the scene estimated 15 to 20 houses were lost to the fire.