Bollinger County man dies in house fire

A large house fire early Sunday morning claimed the life of a Bollinger County man.

Bollinger County Coroner Charles Hutchings identified the victim as 62-year-old Gerald Seiler, who had been confined to a wheelchair since he was 19, the result of an auto accident. He lived alone in the house.

Marble Hill, Missouri, Fire Chief Jim Bollinger said firefighting crews from Marble Hill, Leopold, Whitewater and Zalma responded to the fire on Route N a mile and a half west of Leopold about 2:30 a.m. Sunday, where Bollinger said they found the two-story frame house fully involved.

The house burned to the ground, and the crews had to truck in water to extinguish it, Bollinger said.

Four cars also burned, according to an earlier email from Bollinger.

Hutchings said it appears a space heater may have started the fire.

Space heaters also are suspected of starting several recent fires that caused seven deaths during five days in early February throughout the state.

The deaths, along with injuries to six people from fires, prompted the Missouri Department of Public Safety to issue a reminder of the potential dangers of using portable heaters and other unconventional heat sources.

Safety precautions issued by the department include:

• Keeping anything that can burn, including furniture, at least three feet from heaters;
• Keeping children away from heaters;
• Turning off heaters when leaving a room or going to bed;
• Not overloading extension cords and outlets;
• Never using an oven or other cooking device as a heat source; and
• Checking homes for working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3632

Pertinent address:

Route N, Leopold, MO