Fire Destroys Two Pomona Homes

Two families lost their homes in Pomona last week. A fire that began in a home on County Road 2120 on Jan. 12 spread to a neighboring residence. Both homes were a total loss, reports Pomona Fire Chief Randall Dennis.

Pomona Fire Department was alerted to the fire at 11:34 a.m. Peace Valley and Willow Springs Departments responded immediately according to automatic aid agreements. West Plains and Howell Rural Departments also responded per Chief Dennis's request. 

By 11:46 a.m., high winds had blown the fire into the attic of a neighboring house, Chief Dennis said, and there were two homes actively burning. 

"It was so hot we could not keep it from catching," Chief Dennis said.

The source of the first fire is undetermined. As a matter of policy, Chief Dennis requests a Missouri State Fire Marshal to investigate structure fires, and their report lists the cause as "undetermined," he said. 

The first home was fully involved by the time firefighters were on scene. It eventually burned to the foundation. As it burned, there was "a lot of popping," Chief Dennis said, as aerosol cans and ammonium stored in the home exploded in the heat. The fire in the second house was mostly in the attic.

Fighting both fires took hours. Chief Dennis reported a control time of 1:22 p.m., a time frame he said is typical for the severity of the blaze and the windy conditions. 

A resident of the first home was inside when the fire broke out, but she managed to escape unharmed out the back door, reports Chief Dennis. There was no one home in the second house. 

Except for minor burns, no firefighters were injured by their efforts to quench the flames.