FIRE DESTROYS RESIDENCE IN BLACK JACK FIRE DISTRICT......
January 30, 2003 - 4:30 A.M. - A residence was destroyed in a one alarm fire in the 2200 block of Barcelona Drive in the Black Jack Fire District. The fire was first reported as a brush fire behind the Lowe's Hardware Store. Firefighters then discovered the house on fire and requested assistance. Firefighters from Florissant, Ferguson and Spanish Lake assisted. There was no one home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation. (CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS)

AUTOMOBILE AND SCHOOL BUS ACCIDENT INJURES FOUR STUDENTS......
January 14, 2003 - 2:30 p.m.- Four students from Kirby Jr. High School, in the Hazelwood School District, were injured when an automobile struck the rear of their school bus at Bellefontaine Road and Talisman Lane. The four were transported to the hospital by ambulance. 15 other students were taken to the hospital on another school bus to be checked out. Two persons in the automobile were also injured. All injuries were minor.

TWO PERSONS RESCUED IN A TWO ALARM TOWNHOUSE FIRE - SIX INJURED......
January 13, 2003 - 2:15 p.m. - Three police officers were injured while rescuing two residents from the second floor window of an apartment building in the 12000 block of Partridge Run Drive in Black Jack. Three residents and three police officers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Firefighters found flames coming from the front and back of the building on their arrival. Firefighters from Black Jack, Spanish Lake, Florissant, Ferguson, Riverview, Pattonville, Hazelwood and Moline fought the two alarm fire. The fire started in the kitchen area of the townhouse.

BURST WATER PIPE CAUSES COLLAPSE OF CEILING AT RETIREMENT HOME - RESIDENTS EVACUATED......
January 12, 2003 - 9:30 p.m. - Firefighters responded to a ceiling collapse at the Hidden Lake Retirement Center in the 11800 block of Hidden Lake Drive. Approximately 30 residents were evacuated from the area after a frozen sprinkler water pipe burst above the ceiling, causing a partial ceiling collapse. There were no injuries and most of the residents returned to their apartments after the cleanup and restoration of the sprinkler system.

AUTOMOBILE STRIKES UTILITY POLE AND FENCE......
January 10, 2003 - 1:45 p.m. - An automobile traveling east on Spanish Pond Road went off the road and struck a utility pole and fence in front of Spanish Lake Park. The driver suffered injuries and was treated at the scene by firefighters and paramedics before being transported to the hospital.

TWO PERSONS OVERCOME BY CARBON MONOXIDE......
Friday, January 3, 2003, 6:30 a.m. Firefighters responded to a gas leak in the 1200 block of Walker Avenue. When they arrived they found a 63 year old male on the floor and his 62 year old wife was disoriented. They immediately found high levels of carbon monoxide in the home. Both victims were transported to the hospital. Laclede Gas Company was called to check the furnace and water heater.

INJURED SLED RIDER RESCUED FROM BOTTOM OF HILL......
Thursday, January 2, 2003, 10:38 p.m. Firefighters responded to an injured person trapped at the bottom of a steep hill on Bittersweet Lane. The 22 year old male rode a sled down a steep incline and struck a pole at the bottom. Firefighters worked for 30 minutes to bring the victim back up the hill to be transported to the hospital. The victim suffered head injuries.

SUICIDE BY GUN......
Wednesday, January 1, 2003, 11:25 p.m. Firefighters and police responded to a suicide in the 1500 block of Lakeside Lane. A male shot himself in the rear yard of the residence. Police are investigating.

AUTOMOBILE OVERTURNS AFTER STRIKING FIRE HYDRANT......
Thursday, December 12, 2002, 10:25 a.m. Firefighters responded to a vehicle overturned at the intersection of Claudine Avenue and Sherrington Drive. The vehicle had overturned after striking a fire hydrant and the four occupants were able to get out. Three people were sent to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

CAR STRIKES TREE AND CATCHES FIRE - DRIVER INJURED..........
Wednesday, December 11, 2002, 9:23 A.M., Spanish Lake firefighters extinguished a car fire on Aspen Woods Drive just north of Larimore Road. The vehicle had struck a tree and caught fire. The driver suffered leg and hip injuries and was transported to the hospital. The other occupants of the car, a woman and two children, escaped without injury. The driver was making a left turn off Larimore Road onto Aspen Woods and lost control of the vehicle. (more photos)

CHILD SETS FIRE TO BED WHILE PLAYING WITH CIGARETTE LIGHTER..........
Monday, December 9, 2002, 1:30 P.M., firefighters from the districts of Spanish Lake and Riverview extinguished a fire in the bedroom of a single family dwelling in the 1100 block of Redman Road. A four year old boy set fire to the bed while playing with a cigarette lighter. No one in the house was injured. A firefighter received a minor leg injury when an attic stair broke, causing him to fall.

VACANT HOUSE ENGULFED IN FIRE WHEN FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVED ......
Sunday, November 17, 2002, 10:45 p.m. Firefighters from Riverview, Spanish Lake and Moline extinguished a house fire in the 1200 block of Roxton Drive in Bissell Hills. First arriving firefighters found flames coming from the windows of the residence. The fire was reported by a neighbor who saw smoke in the area. There were no injuries reported. The County Police Bomb and Arson Unit is investigating the cause of the fire.

APARTMENT FIRE ROUTS NINE FAMILIES FROM THEIR APARTMENTS AT 2:00 AM. ......
Saturday, November 16, 2002 02:00 a.m.,A Shift firefighters from Spanish Lake, Riverview and Black Jack extinguished a fire that was confined to the wall of an apartment unit at the Sierra Vista Apartments in Spanish Lake. The occupants of the building were alerted to the fire by the smoke alarms sounding. The fire was caused by an electrical failure in the aluminum wiring in the basement of the apartment unit. One resident was treated for smoke inhalation.

KITCHEN FIRE DAMAGES APARTMENT......
Sunday, November 10, 2002 12:50 p.m.,C Shift firefighters extinguished a kitchen fire at 11933 Rosado Drive in the Countryside Apartments. The tenant stated that she had cooked earlier and thourght that she had turned off the stove top. She went to the store and when she returned she found the apartment full of smoke. The fire caused approximately $8,500.00 damage to the apartment unit. There were no injuries.

EMPOYEE INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT U-HAUL STORE......
Saturday, November 9, 2002 10:00 a.m. Firefighters and paramedics treated a man who was injured when a 50 gallon drum exploded while he was cutting it up with a torch. The drum apparently contained a small amount of flammable material. The incident occurred at the U-Haul Store located at 12060 Lusher Road where the man is employed.

FIRE IN FURNACE ROOM DAMAGES APARTMENT......
Friday, November 8, 2002 6:10 p.m., firefighters extinguished a small fire in a furnace room at the Raintree Apartments, 1049 Mollerus Drive. The fire occurred under a platfrom that the furnace and water heater sit on and caused approximately $3,500.00 damage. The accidental fire was caused by an accumulation of debris in the proximity of the gas furnace and water heater.

VAN OVERTURNS AFTER RUNNING OFF ROAD, TRAPPING WOMAN INSIDE......
Tuesday, November 5, 2002 10:12 a.m. Firefighters extracate woman trapped inside her van after it struck an embankment and rolled over on Parker Road just west of Bellefontaine Road. The woman received only minor injuries.

(MORE PHOTOS)
FED-EX TRUCK ACCIDENT AND FIRE DRAWS NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION......
Tuesday, October 29, 2002 12:19 p.m. Firefighters from Riverview, Spanish Lake, Black Jack, Moline and Florissant extinguished a fire in a Fed-Ex truck after it struck a guard rail and sign post. The Fed-Ex truck was towing two trailers and broke apart after striking the sign post. The right fuel tank ruptured causing a fire that destroyed both trailers. The incident was covered live on most network news stations, fearing that it was a terrorist incident because reports of an explosion. There were no injuries.

MAN RUNS OFF ROAD AFTER SUFFERING A FATAL HEART ATTACK......
Wednesday, October 23, 2002 - C Shift firefighters attempt to revive a man who suffered a fatal heart attack and ran off the road and struck a fence on Bellefontaine south of New Jamestown Roads.

FIREFIGHTERS FIGHT ONE ALARM FIRE IN DUPLEX......
Thursday, October 3, 2002 - Firefighters from Spanish Lake and Moline assisted Riverview Fire District with a one alarm fire in a residential duplex at 315 Chambers Road in Riverview. (more photos)

TRUCK GETS WEDGED UNDER RAILROAD TRUSSEL......
Saturday, September 28, 2002 07:00 P.M. C Shift firefighters from Spanish Lake responded to a truck that struck the railroad trussel on Trampe Road. The 13 foot rental truck went under the 11'6" trussel, ripping the top off the back and wedging the truck under the bridge. Trains were stopped for several hours while the trussel was inspected by the railroad. There were no injuries.

(MORE PHOTOS)
THREE INJURED IN HIGHWAY 270 ACCIDENT......
Tuesday, September 03, 2002 09:00 A.M. C Shift firefighters from Spanish Lake and Black Jack extricated the driver of an automobile that struck the center concrete median on Highway 270 (west bound) west of Highway 367. Two other occupants were thrown from the car on impact with the wall. All three where transported to hospitals by medical helicopters. The vehicle was traveling west on Dunn Road when it went off the roadway, through a chain link fence, down the embankment, through four lanes of traffic on west bound Highway 270 and struck the concrete median wall.

COUNTY HIGHWAY MOWING TRACTOR LOOSES WHEEL AND INJURES OPERATOR......
Tuesday, September 03, 2002 09:00 A.M. C Shift firefighters removed the injured operator from his tractor after he lost a right rear wheel on Redman Road near Lusher Road. The tractor wheel traveled another 100 feet, landing in a nearby front yard. The tractor belonged to the St. Louis County Highway Department. There were no other injuries. The victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

ONE ALARM FIRE IN BLACK JACK RESIDENCE......
Monday, August 26, 2002 01:50 P.M. A Shift firefighters from Black Jack, Spanish Lake and Ferguson extinguished a one alarm fire in a residence in the 6400 block of Hadden Bay Drive in Black Jack. The fire, which destroyed the single story residence, was well involved in fire when the first firefighters arrived on the scene. The fire started on top of the stove from cooking left unattended. There were no injuries.

DRYER FIRE IN RESIDENCE......
Tuesday, August 20, 2002 09:05 A.M. B Shift firefighters extinguished a basement dryer fire in the 11600 block of Larimore Road. Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the basement windows of the residence. The fire was confined to the dryer and clothes around the dryer. There were no injuries.

BEDROOM FIRE CAUSED BY CHILDREN PLAYING WITH CANDLE......
Saturday, August 17, 2002 01:10 A.M. C Shift firefighters extinguished a bedroom fire in the 12900 block of Vista Ridge Drive. Firefighters found a clothes basket full of clothes on fire in the back bedroom and quickly extinguished the fire. Candle residue was found in the pile of clothing and the fire is belived to have been caused by children playing with a lighted candle. The mother was treated at the scene for chest pains. There were no injuries reported.

MORE INCIDENTS

FEMALE JUMPED FROM MOVING VEHICLE......
Monday, August 12, 2002 07:17 P.M. C Shift firefighters responded to a person struck in front of Walgreens, Parker Road and Lusher Road. A female was found lying face down and bleeding from the back of the head in the 1900 block of Parker Road. Witnesses had stated that the victim jumped out of a moving vehicle. The victim stated she had been arguing with her boyfriend and she decided to get out of the vehicle. The victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance.

KITCHEN FIRE CAUSES EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO HOUSE......
Tuesday, August 13, 2002 07:53 P.M. B Shift firefighters extinguished a kitchen fire in the 1200 block of Scott Avenue. The fire started in a kitchen trash can and was discovered by neighbors. The owner was not home at the time. The owners pet dog died in the fire.

AUTOMOBILE DRIVES THROUGH THE BACK WALL OF PIZZA RESTAURANT......
Tuesday, August 13, 2002 09:00 A.M. B Shift firefighters extricated a man from an automobile that drove through the rear wall of the Papa Johns Pizza Restaurant on Sierra Vista Parkway. The natural gas line for the building was severed by the impact and firefighters had to shut off the gas to prevent an explosion. The driver was extricated and sent to the hospital by ambulance.

SIX INJURED - FIVE EXTRICATED IN THREE VEHICLE ACCIDENT......
Friday, August 9, 2002 04:20 P.M. B Shift firefighters extricated five persons in one automobile involved in a three vehicle accident in the 11600 block of Bellefontaine Road. Six persons were injured, including four women and two children after the south bound silver car was struck in the rear by a pick-up truck, spinning it into the path of the north bound gold car. Five ambulances were used to transport the victims to various hospitals. Shown are Captains Murphy and Swain extricating the trapped victims in the silver car using a "Jaws of Live" rescue tool.

ABANDONDED HOUSE GOES UP IN FLAMES......
Saturday, August 3, 2002 09:20 A.M.C Shift Firefighters from Spanish Lake, Riverview and Black Jack Fire Districts fought a fire in an old abandoned house on Riverview Drive just inside the city limits of St. Louis, just north of Highway 270. The house was fully involved with fire when firefighters arrived on the scene.

VIOLENT HEAD ON CRASH INVOLVING THREE CARS INJURES FIVE - THREE EXTRICATED......
Saturday, July 28, 2002 02:20 A.M.C Shift Firefighters on Engine 5110 responded to a head on auto accident involving three cars. Three victims had to be extricated by firefighters from an SUV. The tan colored sedan was traveling south and the SUV was traveling north. Both vehicle hit head on in the north bound lanes of Bellefontaine Road near Twillman School. A third vehicle struck those two vehicles. Five people were injured and transported to Depaul Hospital. The most seriously injured person was flown to the hospital by a medical helicopter.

THREE CAR ACCIDENT INJURES THREE......
Saturday, July 25, 2002 08:11 A.M.C Shift Firefighters on Engine 5110 responded to an auto accident with injuries at the intersection of Highway 367 and Norma Lane. Three persons received minor injuries including a 91 year old lady who was driving one of the vehicles.

CAR FIRE - HIGHWAY 367 AND HIGHWAY 270......
Thursday, July 25, 2002 9:30 A.M.C Shift Firefighters on Engine 5110 responded to a car fire on south bound Highway 367 south of Highway 270. Shown here are Captain Rich Swain and Firefighter Chris Hunt preparing to extinguish the fire.

ARSON FIRES DESTROY TWO VEHICLES OVER THE WEEKEND......
Friday, July 19, 2002 11:57 P.M.C Shift Firefighters on Engine 5110 extinguished a van fire in the 11600 block of Raymond Avenue. The van was parked on the street and the owner heard a pop sound. When he looked outside he saw his 1992 Pontiac van was on fire. A neighbor saw a juvenile running from the scene. On Sunday, July 21, 2002 at 2:00 A.M. a resident in the 1200 block of Rhea Avenue found her car on fire parked on the street in front of the house. Firefighters extinguished the fire which was believed to be caused by arson. Both vehicles were destroyed by the fires. St. Louis County Police Bomb & Arson Unit is investigating both fires.

VAN DESTROYED BY FIRE......
Thursday, July 18, 2002 8:30 A.M.C Shift Firefighters on Engine 5110 responded to a van fire at Bellefontaine and Dunn Roads. Shown here are Captain Rich Swain and Firefighter Chris Hunt extinguishing the fire that destroyed the 1991 Ford van. The owner stated that he was driving when he noticed smoke puffing out from under the hood.

VEHICLE DRIVEN BY ELDERLY MAN IS STRUCK BROADSIDE, HIS CAR SPINS IN A CIRCLE AND STRIKES THE REAR OF THE CAR THAT HIT HIM......
Saturday, July 13, 2002 11:46 A.M.B Shift Firefighters on Ladder Truck 5125 responded to an auto accident with injuries at 11419 Larimore Road. A Chevrolet Suburban towing a construction trailer struck the side of a black Honda Accord making a left turn and being driven by an elderly man. Upon impact the elderly man excelerated and spun in a circle on a rock parking lot. His vehicle then struck the rear end of the construction trailer that was being towed by the vehicle that struck him, causing a ladder stage to go through his windshield. Three persons were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

MAN SETS FIRE TO HOUSE AND KILLS HIMSELF DURING A STANDOFF WITH POLICE.....
Friday, July 12, 2002 3:30 A.M.C Shift Firefighters on Ladder Truck 5125 assisted the Riverview Fire District with a house fire in the 1500 block of Akron Drive. A 53 year old man was hold up in his girlfriend's house after chasing her to a neighbors house with a handgun. The man set fire to the house during a several hour standoff with police. Firefighters extinguished the fire after the man shot himself to death in the rear of the house. The family dog died in the fire .....ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

MAN STABBED BY GIRLFRIEND AFTER SHE WAS ASSULTED.....
Friday, July 11, 2002 1:05 P.M.C Shift Firefighters on Ladder Truck 5125 responded to a stabbing in the 1500 block of Marbella, in the Sierra Vista Apartments. When they arrived they found that the stabbing victim had fled the scene and a female stated that the man had run her head into a wall, causing a hole in the wall. She then stabbed him in the side. The female was treated for head injuries and the male subject could not be located. .....

MORE INCIDENTS