Darrell Todd Maurina
Posted: Saturday, February 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Only the walls remained standing in a flame-gutted Dixon house after an early Saturday morning blaze.

DIXON, Mo. (Feb. 21, 2009) — A cooking fire destroyed a Dixon home early Saturday morning.

The blaze, which gutted a single-story wood-frame house at 101 South Oak Street, was called in at 12:48 a.m., but by the time firefighters arrived, flames were already shooting through the roof.

“(The resident) put a pan on the stove, forgot about it, and the flames were already climbing up the wall when she caught it,” said Dixon Fire Chief Dennis Lachowicz.

Lachowicz said the resident fled the house, called her father, and her father called 911 at 12:48 a.m. Firefighters were on the scene by 12:54 a.m., but it was already too late to save the home.

Lachowicz said the state fire marshal’s office was called to the fire scene but have verified the blaze was a cooking fire and determined the fire was not suspicious in origin.

“It was old oak; that’s why it went so quick,” Lachowicz said.

Fifteen Dixon firefighters responded with three pumpers, Lachowicz said, along with five Crocker firefighters on an engine. Firefighters left the scene at 5:30 a.m.

Dixon Ambulance District paramedics responded but no one was injured by the fire.

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