ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Firefighters with the North County Fire & Rescue Fire Protection District responded to a three-alarm fire late Tuesday morning at the site of an old bowling ball plant in Jennings.
Firefighters received word of heavy smoke pouring from the abandoned building in the 8700 block of Xograph Avenue around 11:30 a.m. This is the fourth time crews were out at the abandoned building, Fire Chief Keith Goldstein said. Tuesday’s extremely cold temperatures created challenges.
“We’re rotating crews in and out. We’ve got our canteen up here already,” Goldstein said. “We’ve got a warming bus from Metro bus out here and our guys are doing a great job.”
The chief said the fire began down in the basement area. Crews had ground monitors around the basement and a drone in the air to figure out the best way to extinguish the fire without going inside. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“Who knows what it can be. We’ve got squatters living here, trying to keep warm during these cold weathers and start warming fires. You know, we just really don’t know,” Goldstein said.
The owners of the abandoned warehouse face federal charges over a 2019 hazardous waste fire.
The City of Jennings will be out later to put salt on the streets around the building, the chief said.