On Monday evening, July 15 the Lakeview heights Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at Operation Barbecue on Golden Acres Road. Upon arrival, the first units found smoke coming out of the eves of the large shop building. First thoughts were, it was not a large fire and could be contained. As the Garage doors open the fire rolled out and rapidly grew. Mutual aid was requested from nearby neighboring departments. As the fire grew, and with additional structures in danger, more units were requested. The structure was a total loss and multiple firefighters were treated for heat related issues. “LVHFD would like to extend a massive thank you to Benton County Missouri 911 for getting us loads of help to the scene along with dispatcher Justin King for responding to the scene and running one of the engines for a good portion of the fire,” stated the Chief. They also extended gratitude to include Cole Camp Rural Fire Department, Lincoln Fire Protection District, Osage Valley Fire Protection, Stover Rural Fire Department, Gravois Fire Protection District, Warsaw Fire Protection District, Cole Camp EMS, Warsaw/Lincoln EMS, Benton County Missouri Sheriff’s Department and the staff from Operation Barbecue Relief.
Without all of the assistance LVHFD could not have made it work. At one time there were 24 fire trucks on scene and no count on the number of personnel. Fire Chief Ryan Metscher wants to thank his own crew for working their tails off until more help arrived. Also thanks to his crew for stepping up and getting things handled when Chief Metscher and several others went down. The Chief said, “We truly have the best fire services around and last night was a testament to that!”
The fire is under investigation by the Missouri State Fire Marshal Office but no cause has yet been determined.
