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Exact cause of Santie Oil fire isn't known, not considered suspicious
SIKESTON -- Sikeston Department of Public Safety personnel remained on the scene Tuesday after battling a fire in what felt like triple-digit heat Monday.
Although the fire continued to flare up Monday night and again Tuesday morning, an investigation began into the origin of the blaze, which broke out at approximately 9:35 a.m. Monday in a propane storage area at Santie Oil Company, 126 Larcel Drive. According to Sikeston Department of Public Safety Director Drew Juden, the fire did not appear to be suspicious.
Juden said personnel were working in the area when the fire broke out, however, all workers were able to safely leave the building.
As the fire moved through the building, it began to ignite the propane canisters, causing large explosions which continued to fuel the blaze. The fire caused parts of some containers to become projectiles, flying hundreds of feet in the air. Some even crossed Highway 60 and landed in a field near Walmart.
Several large propane and gasoline storage tanks created concerns for officers, who evacuated the nearby businesses and kept water on the tanks to keep them cool. The blaze also prompted the Missouri State Highway Patrol to shut down parts of Highways 60 and 61.
In bringing the blaze under control, three firemen were overcome by the heat and treated at the scene; one of whom also had fluids administered by emergency medical personnel at the scene.
A fireman injured while setting up a generator for a cooling station was transported to the hospital, DPS Capt. Bill Mygatt said, but it was only to check out an injury to a finger.
Zak Haskin, field training officer for Sikeston DPS, was one of the first officers to get to the fire. He arrived on scene along with the first fire truck at about 9:40 a.m. Monday.
"I responded in my personal vehicle," Haskin said. "Yesterday was my day off, and I live by (Sikeston's Fire) Station 2. I followed the on-duty crew out there, and by the time, I got out there, the building was already burning to the point where everybody had backed off for the moment."
At that point, firefighters can't do anything to stop the blaze; they have to wait. Because they knew no one was inside the building and no one was physically injured, firefighters were able to take in the situation at the scene, Haskin said.
"You see that stuff on TV all the time so to see it in person for what it was, it was neat -- a once-in-a-lifetime thing you will see," Haskin said.
Mygatt agreed.
"It was kind of exciting, all those tanks exploding," Mygatt said.
The explosive fire also became a safety issue for all who were near, Haskin said.
"We kept moving back and were right across the street. Tank debris kept popping off and landing closer to us and moved us back to different locations to where we finally wound up," Haskin said.
Once the explosions stopped, it became a matter of trying to cool everything down, Haskin said.
"You can't get up too close with that either," Haskin said.
DPS encountered a lot of heat issues, Mygatt noted.
Disaster volunteers with the American Red Cross set up nearby providing drinking water and food Monday for firefighters and emergency workers responding from five different counties.
Mygatt said Chief Juden and supervisors did an excellent job of monitoring firefighters at the scene, "keeping an eye on people, making sure they get rotated in and out properly."
Cape Girardeau and Morehouse fire departments provided aid by manning DPS fire stations and responding to calls while the Sikeston Fire Department fought the fire.
Records show 47 Sikeston DPS officers worked the fire, Mygatt said.
Also working the fire were three firefighters from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department operating their airport apparatus. "It's a big foam pumper," he said.
Haskin left the scene about 5 p.m. Monday and went on street duty to take a transport to St. Louis. He got home around 4 a.m. Tuesday and was called back in to work by about 8:30 a.m.
Once the day was over, Haskin concluded: "It was long. It was hot. It was tiring."
Santie Oil Company is a distributor for companies such as Chevron/Texaco.