Farm fire destroys shed, vehicles

Firefighters battled a blaze that destroyed a shed and two recreational vehicles Monday afternoon on a farm just west of La Monte.

Fire departments from La Monte, Green Ridge, Pettis County and Johnson County sent trucks, pumpers and firefighters to the blaze after it was reported just after noon.

The fire started at 11150 U.S. Highway 50 when property owner Francis Sprinkle lost control as he burned debris near a storage shed. He left the property and called his family to check on the blaze after reporting it to emergency responders. Kenny Jameson, Sprinkle’s grandson, said no one lives on the farm and nobody was hurt in the fire.

As firefighters worked to contain the inferno, wind blew the smoke, which was visible from La Monte, over U.S. Highway 50, and traffic was diverted from the right westbound lane.

La Monte Fire Chief Ray Durham said that by the time firefighters arrived, the shed was down and the two RVs were already engulfed in flames. Firefighters carefully managed the blaze while ammunition rounds stored nearby fired and the propane tanks on the RVs ignited.

“After about 15 minutes, we had it under control,” Durham said.

Durham thought the shed, which was divided into two sections, burned quickly because one side was filled with paper and the other with various equipment and other items.

None of the firefighters was seriously injured while extinguishing the blaze, but one required treatment after becoming dizzy from a combination of heat and smoke inhalation.

“One went down, but he’s doing well,” Durham said. “He’s back out here now.”

Firefighters had to make a few trips back to La Monte to refill the pumpers and tanks after exhausting their water supply. Even an hour after the fire was controlled, the grass around the farm house sizzled, poles near the road burned and clouds of smoke poured out of one RV.

“We will probably still be out here a couple more hours sifting through everything to make sure it is extinguished,” Durham said.