Jefferson City firefighters battle house blaze

The 1200 block of East McCarty Street is blocked early Sunday morning as Jefferson City firefighters battle a blaze in a two-story house.
The 1200 block of East McCarty Street is blocked early Sunday morning as Jefferson City firefighters battle a blaze in a two-story house.

Jefferson City firefighters responded early this morning to attack a fire in a two-story house at 1207 E. McCarty St.

When they arrived shortly after 1:40 a.m., firefighters discovered heavy smoke showing and an electrical box sparking outside the structure. They searched the structure and found no one inside.

Fire department division chief Jason Turner reports the fire was contained within 30 minutes, but fire crews remained on the scene through early morning sifting through the debris to extinguish hidden flames and determine the fire cause. The Missouri State Fire Marshal's office is assisting local authorities with the investigation.

The structure sustained heavy damage throughout and is considered a total loss, Turner stated. Portions of the floor and walls collapsed contributing to the challenge of operating inside the structure. A firefighter was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries from a fall.

The home appeared to be unoccupied at the time of the fire, but investigators are interviewing witnesses.

Five fire companies with 30 fire department personnel responded to the scene. Off-duty fire department personnel responded to staff otherwise empty fire stations until early morning in order to provide service to the rest of the city.