Willow Firefighters Treated for Heat Exhaustion in Mtn Grove

Four Willow Springs Fire Department firefighters responded to a call for mutual aid at the devastating fire on the square in Mountain Grove last Tuesday. According to a statement from Mountain Grove Fire Department firefighters from Cabool, Norwood, Mansfield, Hartville, Houston, Willow, and West Plains converged on the scene where two buildings were completely destroyed and two others seriously damaged. 

Adam Webb, Nick Tooley, Dustin Kupitz, and Fire Chief Vance Farmer were on the square that day. All but Webb sought treatment for heat exhaustion. 

Fire Chief Farmer said his crew was assigned to do roof ventilation, and that this searing hot and dangerous job on a July afternoon was what caused the heat exhaustion. 

“Roof ventilation is performed by cutting and removing part of the roof above the fire area to help release heat and smoke from the burning building allowing firefighters to have better visibility and less heat to get to the seat of the fire for suppression efforts,” Fire Chief Farmer told Howell County News, “The ventilation releases toxic gasses and smoke along with lots of heat. Sometimes after the vent hole is opened and fresh oxygen gets to the fire. The gasses and smoke flash and fire escapes through the vent hole. You gotta be quick and accurate on your movements to safely get the job done and get off the roof.”

All WSFD personnel have recovered, Farmer reports. Overall, about 25 firefighters on the scene required treatment for heat-related injuries. 

“We are all ok now. Just the typical aches and pains after a call of that nature.”

The structure collapse and subsequent multiple fires was a first for Fire Chief Farmer.

“Most of the structure fires here in our district usually consist of a single structure and occasionally smaller outbuildings also involved. This was my first major response to multiple large structures on fire in the same location,” he said.