HOLTS SUMMIT - About 30 displaced families gathered at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church following a Monday morning blaze that destroyed Evergreen Apartments in Holts Summit.
Sharon Haning, a resident of the 30-unit complex, said she was awoken by a sirens and a neighbor pounding on the door.
"They shouted, 'There's a fire, get out; there's a fire, get out,'" Haning said. "It was very scary - terrifying."
Firefighters also battled a residential fire Saturday evening. No injuries were reported in either blaze. American Red Cross Disaster Program Manager Kath Mayne confirmed Monday's fire was the most destructive the area has seen in a long time.
The Holts Summit community is already pulling together to offer aid.
"I'm just glad we could help the people," Pastor Nolan Wynn said. "We're literally across the street from (Evergreen), and a lot of the families go to our church."
Just after 2 a.m. Monday, the Holts Summit Fire Department responded to Evergreen Apartments. The first units arriving spotted flames shooting through the roof and smoke billowing from windows.
"Our primary concern was making sure everyone had safely evacuated and (were) accounted for," said Lt. Scott Pasley of the Holts Summit Fire Protection District. "Fortunately everyone did the correct thing and evacuated immediately."
All occupants have been accounted for, he said. Pasley said initial findings indicated the cause of the fire may be electrical, but due to the condition of the building, it is not certain.
Survivors at Pleasant Ridge recounted a chaotic scene. Multiple building residents stated most of the apartment units had no smoke detectors.
Word is, Mayne said, a 4-year-old smelled smoke first and the alert spread from there.
Maning escaped with her child (her other three kids were spending the night elsewhere) and two dogs; unfortunately, two kittens didn't make it out.
Elsewhere in the complex, James Strickland was also asleep when a neighbor alerted him to the fire. He described the experience as "scary and cold." Strickland, Haning and her family were among many survivors whom volunteers drove to Pleasant Ridge.
"Holts Summit Fire would like to thank all of the agencies that provided assistance," Pasley said. "The high winds, cold temperatures and number of citizens affected made this a challenging call."
By late Monday morning, a few small fires still flickered inside the gutted apartment complex. Ice coated trees and cars around the building.
Community response
The scene inside Pleasant Ridge, where American Red Cross set up operations, was lively. Children played tag in the sanctuary. One little girl proclaimed to a newly arrived friend, "Our house just got burned in a fire."
Families will be moved to a shelter Monday evening, Mayne said. Those who have a place to stay will receive gift cards from the ARC with funds for food and clothing purchases.
"There are people bringing clothes from everywhere," Wynn said. "There are some babies that don't have anything."
Community members donated clothing and food for the survivors; some helped coordinate distribution at the church.
"When the pastor calls, we come," said Alice Carver, a church member helping sort through clothes. "I didn't get my phone call until about 3 a.m., but I think some folks have been here since about 2 a.m."
Survivors expressed gratitude for the community's quick response.
"The Red Cross and this church are a godsend," Haning said. "They're amazing people. We just moved here a month and a half ago, and we love the Holts Summit community."
Mayne said that more than enough clothes have been donated already.
"We have way more than we can possibly use right now," she said. "We call it the 'disaster after the disaster.' The best thing to do is to donate to the Red Cross."
Any occupants of Evergreen Apartments who haven't yet spoken to the ARC but would like to receive help should call 314-516-2700, she said.
Mayne also urged everyone to ensure their residence has smoke detectors installed. The ARC and other programs offer them for free; call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit getasmokealarm.org to learn more.
In addition to the HSFPD, South Callaway, Millersburg, Central Callaway, Fulton, New Bloomfield, Jefferson City, Osage and Cole County fire departments all responded. Additionally, Holts Summit Police Department, Callaway County Sheriff, Callaway Emergency Medical, American Red Cross and members of Pleasant Ridge assisted, Pasley said.
As for Strickland and Haning, both are staying with family members for now. Anything beyond that is less certain.
"I might move back south," Strickland said. "I don't think there'll be any apartments open around here."
Saturday fire
Saturday evening's fire took place at a house in the 3000 block of County Road 4029.
The home was a total loss.
"I believe (the homeowners) were awake and one of them noticed the smell of smoke," Pasley said. "When they couldn't identify the source of the smoke, they made the right choice and got outside."
The structure was already fully involved when firefighting units arrived. The weather made the fight difficult: a high wind fanned the flames and the bitter cold made working conditions challenging for first responders, Pasley said.
Well after the fire appeared to be extinguished, it flared up again.
"We went back out about 1 a.m. and it had rekindled and moved into the basement," Pasley said.
In total, more than 15 apparatus and 25 firefighters responded to the incident, including units from the South Callaway, Central Callaway, Millersburg, New Bloomfield and Jefferson City Fire Departments/Fire Protection Districts, and Callaway Ambulance.
The home's destruction makes it impossible to nail down the fire's exact cause, Pasley said.
"With the damage to the structure there was no way to determine where the fire had started," he explained. "The homeowners indicated that they had a fire going in the fireplace."
Winter can be a dangerous season for fires, Pasley added.
"This time of year, especially with the really cold conditions, we urge everybody to make sure their flues are in good shape and make sure they're not plugging space heaters into extension cords or ungrounded outlets," Pasley said. "People are generating heat and that leads to more opportunities for a fire to occur."