I took Saturday night off from work on the 16th so I could go rock and mineral collecting in south central Missouri that afternoon. I returned home about 7 pm and was headed to bed by midnight when I heard Franklin County dispatch Beaufort Leslie Fire District to assist Sullivan Fire District for a structure fire at 150 East Springfield. Sullivan FD recently switched over to dispatching services by Washington County Dispatch and I did not hear the tones drop. I quickly dressed warmly, grabbed my camera and flash, and headed for the truck with Onyx just ahead of me. We arrived soon after and found 854 on the scene with Captain Dave Konys and his crew of Ray Enloe and Davey Sumpter fighting the fire. Sullivan Ambulance was on the scene as well as a Sullivan police officer standing by securing the roadway and scene until Franklin County deputies arrived. It was obvious the fire had been burning hot, as the vinyl siding on the garage of the house to the west, as well as the trailer skirting to the east had melted down some…..Ray Enloe was on the nozzle at the street end of the trailer….
And then Bourbon, Beaufort, and St Clair Fire Districts arrived to help with manpower…Sullivan had already established a good water supply thanks to some very good hydrants down Springfield Avenue.
Sorry for the blurs, I had the shutter set pretty low and slow to pick up extra light and everyone was apparently moving faster than an eighth of a second, which is what I was shooting at. Luckily for the family who lost their trailer, everyone got out safely.