Family salvages some personal items from Scott City house fire

Scott City firefighters worked for hours to knock down flames that were ravaging the home of Zach and Sarah Evans. By the time the fire was extinguished, so was much of what the couple had accumulated during their first five years of marriage.

The house at 429 E. Olive St. was gone -- a total loss, said Scott City fire chief Jay Cassout. The blaze wiped out the roof and the shed and left even the neighbor's Mercury Milan a blackened husk because it was parked so close to the burning house on the windy Monday.

Crews from Scott City, Cape Girardeau and Chaffee responded to an 11:30 a.m. call, Cassout said. The chief said he believes the fire started in the shed, which sat at the rear of the home. By the time crews arrived, the fire was fully involved and had crept into the attic, he said. When the roof burned away, the fire underneath was given plenty of oxygen, and the situation was only worsened by the 30 mph winds, Cassout said.

A car burns as firefighters battle a blaze at 429 E., Olive St., in Scott City Monday, March 4. Members of the Scott City, Cape Girardeau and Cherokee fire departments responded to the scene of the fire which destroyed the house, a shed and a neighbor's car. (Adam Vogler)

Cassout had no reason to suspect the fire was intentionally set, he said, though he said future investigation looks to be pointless.

"You got to have something left in order for us to be able to investigate," he said.

Luckily, Cassout said, none of the Evans family -- including 2-year-old Zoey -- was home at the time and no injuries were reported.

There were casualties. Earl and Lola died in the fire, he, a corky they'd had since before they were married; she, a Boston-terrier mix they'd gotten three years ago.

Neighbor Nancy Turner, who called 911 when she noticed the smoke billowing from the rooftop, said she also heard sounds coming from the burning kennel where the dogs were kept.

"It was awful," Turner said. "They were screaming and whining. I can't get it out of my mind."

Zach Evans, who raced home from his job at Lowe's in Sikeston, Mo., was more than disheartened to learn of perhaps their greatest loss.

"I'm taking it pretty hard," he said. "I couldn't hardly walk over to their pen."

Other items saved and collected during their marriage were up in smoke, too -- clothes, furniture, electronics and everything else.

As the firefighters continued to dump water on the flames, a small group that included the occupants began to work desperately to save photos and other sentimental items.

One man grabbed the Evans' marriage license. Another grabbed one of Zoey's photo albums and their wedding photos. Soon, every civilian and nonemergency personnel member was gathered around a table wiping off pictures to see what was salvageable.

"We can replace everything else," Zach Evans said. "These things? You can't replace these."

The family also is thankful, Zach Evans said, that they have a close-knit family that is gathering around them to show their support.

"We have plenty of family close by," he said. "And this could have been worse. There could have been somebody in there."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

429 E. Olive St., Scott City, Mo.