Fire erupts at Sikeston oil distributor

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Fire and explosions on Monday blackened Santie Wholesale Oil Co., causing evacuations, cutting power to businesses and forcing road closures in a large area near U.S. 60.

By about 1 p.m., firefighters brought the blaze under control, and smoke wafting from 126 Larcel Drive had dissipated considerably.

On Monday morning, an ominous black and gray mass of smoke could be seen by motorists as far away as Benton, Missouri. Tall flames were visible above the walls of a large warehouse-type facility about 11 a.m., near the intersection of the highway and South Main Street in Sikeston.

No one was injured in the blaze, but two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion.

Witnesses near the company said they heard loud explosions Monday morning and began to see smoke. Capt. Jim McMillen of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety said the initial call was about 9:40 a.m., when a fire broke out in a propane storage area.

Sikeston DPS director Drew Juden said all Santie workers were able to leave the building safely.

As the fire moved through the area, it began to ignite propane canisters, causing large explosions that continued to fuel the blaze.

Sikeston resident Karen Cooper said she could see the fire flare up and heard a boom.

"Things were flying. The flames were higher than the telephone poles," she said. "It was massive."

The smoke intensified as the blaze spread, and the heat of the fire caused propane containers to explode and fly like projectiles hundreds of feet in the air. Some even crossed U.S. 60 and landed in a field near Wal-Mart. McMillen said the containers were 20-pound tanks like those found on gas grills.

"The propane tanks were just like little missiles, going 'whoosh!'" Cooper said.

McMillen said it was not known how the fire started, but when firefighters arrived, the building was engulfed.

Santie owns all the property where the fire took place, but Monsanto stored products inside a warehouse that was damaged, McMillen said.

Of particular concern was a 30,000-gallon propane tank on the property estimated to be about 50 to 60 percent full.

Had the tank exploded, "it would have leveled that whole area back there," McMillen said, adding when a tank like that is threatened, an area of about a half-mile is evacuated.

"We didn't really have to worry about that happening. ... We were lucky in the fact that the fire wasn't around that large vessel," McMillen said.

John Pillers of Sikeston lives about two miles from the company and was at home when the blaze began.

"This morning, I started hearing a thumping noise, and I wasn't sure what it was," he said. "There is a lot of construction nearby, but I thought it was odd."

He went outside to mow his lawn, saw smoke and checked his phone. That's when he started seeing fire videos being posted online.

Because of dangers posed by the blaze, the Missouri State Highway Patrol requested parts of U.S. 60 and U.S. 61 be shut down, said Nicole Thieret of the Missouri Department of Transportation. U.S. 60 was closed from Interstate 55 to Route Y, and U.S. 61 was shut down from U.S. 60 to Route H. The roadways remained closed until early afternoon.

Traffic backed up along Interstate 55 and the Sikeston exit ramp as well.

Santie, which serves as a distributor for companies such as Chevron/Texaco, sits near several area businesses affected by a power outage.

While some businesses in the area remained open at a limited capacity, others -- including Dollar Tree, Break Time, McDonald's and Sonic -- closed. Others nearby, such as a SEMO Electric Cooperative, evacuated employees and closed offices. Three Rivers College canceled classes at a campus building across the road from the distribution facility.

McMillen said, to his knowledge, all employees of businesses in the area were accounted for.

"I understand that they have their own safety operations when they have an incident like this take place. I think they, of all people, understand how dangerous this can be ..." he said.

McMillen said the two firefighters recovered from their heat exhaustion and were back to work Monday afternoon.

Ambulances from several nearby cities and districts staged an area for handling an emergency in front of Lowe's Home Improvement on South Main Street. Police redirected traffic.

McMillen said the Cape Girardeau and Morehouse fire departments provided aid by responding to calls while the Sikeston Fire Department fought the fire. About 40 firefighters were on the scene, he said.

The Cape Girardeau department also sent its truck kept at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, McMillen said. That truck is equipped to handle fires involving a lot of fuel.

"To have a truck like that we can maneuver quickly is key," McMillen said.

American Red Cross volunteers provided food and beverages to the emergency teams fighting the blaze, according to a news release. Forty-five people were provided with snacks, and 70 with lunch and dinner.

A call to Santie Oil seeking more information about the fire was not immediately returned.

The Standard Democrat contributed to this story.

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