A 48-year-old man is dead following a fire in a former Kingdom City towing company last night.
Callaway County Sheriff's Office deputies responded at about 11:22 p.m. Thursday to a reported structure fire at 5751 Old Highway 40, formerly Roger's Towing. The upper level of the building had been serving as a residential area.
Upon arrival and investigation, deputies learned that resident William Reeg Jr. was unable to escape the fire and had remained in the structure. Reeg had lived there with an adult woman and her child. She had escaped the fire, and the juvenile was not home at that time.
Reeg's body was located inside the burning structure at 1:35 a.m. today. The Boone and Callaway County Medical Examiner responded to assist, and the body was transported to that office for autopsy. There it was completed, and revealed no sign of foul play.
The Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office responded and is assisting in the investigation, which is ongoing. Sheriff's officials have said that due to the size of the building and extent of the damage, the investigation will likely take weeks to complete.
The North Callaway, Central Callaway and Millersburg fire protection districts all responded to the blaze, as well as Callaway County EMS. Fire officials said rekindling is likely over the course of the next few days and will be kept monitored by the North Callaway Fire Protection District. The building was still smoldered as of 11:30 a.m. today.