A victim in a Sunrise Beach residential fire on Nov. 14 has been identified as David Ratterree.
According to Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District Chief Dennis Reilly, firefighters responded to a residential fire about 10:30 p.m. on Winding Ashley Lane after multiple calls to the station. Reilly said crews arrived and found the home on fire. Reilly said Ratterree, 51, of 58 Winding Ashley Drive, was in the home, however, the intensity of the fire prevented firefighters from entering the structure.
"This is a very tragic incident, and on behalf of the fire district and our members, I wish to extend my sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Ratterree," Reilly said in a news release. "This was an extremely difficult fire to both locate and fight. Our members did the best we could under difficult conditions."
With the assistance of Gravois and Mid-County fire protection district units, Sunrise Beach firefighters were able to contain the fire to the original building and bring the fire under control in about 90 minutes. At one point during the fire, a neighbor's yard caught fire and threatened to spread into an adjoining structure. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire and prevent any damage to the adjoining properties.
Reilly said the fire has been classified as accidental, but the exact cause has not been determined due to the extensive damage caused by the fire.