Fire destroys Pettis County home

A fire at a Lacey Road house left a Pettis County family without a home Tuesday.

David and Caryla Watson were shopping at J.C. Penney’s after a field trip to La Monte with their son, 11-year-old Jacob, when they got a phone call about the fire at their 23482 Lacey Road home.

“It just takes your knees away,” said Caryla Watson, of seeing her home ablaze.

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Neighbors comforted the Watsons and offered their support as they watched firefighters from the Pettis County Fire Department try to save the family’s home.

Firefighters went to single-story wood-frame home shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday following reports of a house fire at the address, which is off Boonville Road in eastern Pettis County.

The house was “fully involved” when the fire department arrived, said Fire Chief Jeff Williams. He said the home may have burned for as long as 30 minutes before it was noticed.

“Obviously no one was home, nobody around to see the fire whenever it started, so it got a pretty good head start on us,” Williams said.

Officials could not immediately determine the blaze’s cause. Williams said the home was not likely salvageable.

“At this point the house is pretty much destroyed,” he said.

Onlookers reported sounds of ammunition going off at the home. Caryla Watson said her husband did not keep guns in the home, but may have had some spare ammunition in the house.

Seven trucks from four stations went to the fire. None of the firefighters were injured, Williams said.

Caryla Watson said the home, which belonged to the Watsons, was insured. The family planned to stay with nearby relatives Wednesday night, she said.