Fires destroy new Fulton ambulance building, Millersburg business early Thursday

The Callaway County Ambulance District's new facility, under construction at 2614 Fairway Drive in Fulton, burned in the early morning of Thursday, April 18, 2019.
The Callaway County Ambulance District's new facility, under construction at 2614 Fairway Drive in Fulton, burned in the early morning of Thursday, April 18, 2019.

Firefighters in Callaway County had a long night as two major structure fires blazed early Thursday.

The Callaway County Ambulance District's new headquarters is now a scorched ruin after a fire in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

The building, located at 2614 Fairway Drive in Fulton adjacent to the Tanglewood Golf Course, was unoccupied, and no injuries were reported.

A Missouri fire marshal was on scene Thursday morning to determine the fire's cause.

"We have to figure out what the next steps are," said CCAD Director Charles Anderson. "My guess is we'll have to tear it all down and start over."

The facility was under construction. The ambulance district was hoping to move in in October or November, Anderson said.

Both the ambulance district and the construction contractor had insured the project, he added.

"The building was unoccupied, no one was hurt and services were unaffected," Anderson said. "It could've been a lot worse. In the grand scheme of things, this is a setback."

He recalled a 2002 fire at the current station on Hickman Avenue, which destroyed four ambulances.

The Fulton Fire Department and Central Callaway and South Callaway fire protection districts all responded to the scene Thursday.

Russ Automotive

Multiple fire agencies battled a second large fire in Callaway County on Thursday morning.

The fire broke out at Russ Automotive, at 2323 County Road 228, east of Millersburg. The building was considered a total loss.

No firefighters or civilians were hurt in the fire, according to Chief Larry Curtis of the Millersburg Fire Protection District.

He said he was told a newspaper carrier had reported the fire to a resident, who reported it to authorities.

"There was a 20-minute delay," Curtis said of their notice. "The shop was already on the ground when we got there."

Curtis said the building was 100 by 285 feet.

"We don't have a cause determination yet," he said. "We were on the scene until about (9 a.m. Thursday)."

Fire agencies from Boone, Millersburg and Callaway counties were on the scene working to put out the fire.

"We had one of Fulton's trucks out there, and I turned them loose when the report of the other fire came in," Curtis said of the fire at the Callaway ambulance barn.