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FORT OSAGE, Mo. (AP) - A 47-year-old assistant Fort Osage fire chief has died in crash on his way to a fire in rural Jackson County.

 

The Kansas City Star reports that Harold Hollingsworth, a 16-year veteran with Fort Osage, was driving to a fire during a severe thunderstorm Sunday night when his fire department SUV slid off the road and hit a tree.

 

Todd Farley, an assistant fire chief with the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, say it's the first time a Fort Osage firefighter has died in the line of duty.

 

Fort Osage is a town of about 7,000 about 30 miles east of Kansas City. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating.

 

Funeral arrangements were pending Monday.

 

Officials say a fire at a Nevada, Missouri probation and parole office was deliberately set.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information about last week's fire at the office.

Both state and federal fire investigators determined the blaze was arson.

UNION, Mo. (AP) — A woman and her two children have died in a mobile home fire in the eastern Missouri town of Union.

Union police said the home was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters responded Friday night.

After extinguishing the blaze, firefighters found the bodies of the 24-year-old woman and her two children, ages 1 and 6. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that their names weren't immediately released.

The woman's 26-year-old husband wasn't home at the time of the fire. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Three people were able to escape a fire that swept through their Troy, Illinois home just before 5:00am Thursday. Firefighters remained at 31 Stonebrooke in Troy, Illinois for three hours.

Flames could be seen shooting through the roof of the home by neighbors. Fox 2 reports three people got out safely. They are Annie Herrin, her daughter Courtney and her boyfriend, Paul Coopman. Coopman reportedly was awakened by an explosion coming from the garage and was able to get the women out safely. There's still no word on a cause but firefighters are not considering it a suspicious fire.

Fox 2 reports three months ago the family buried Annie's husband, 47-year-old Jimmy Herrin, died from pancreatic cancer. A trust fund for the family has been set up at US Bank in Troy, Illinois.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- A Springfield woman is suing her former landlord over a fire that killed her three children.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that Violet Watson is asking in excess of $25,000 in damages in the suit filed this month in Green County.

The March 2010 fire killed 7-year-old Alexis Watson, 5-year-old Kelsey Watson and 4-year-old Devin Watson. The children's grandfather was seriously injured.

Initially, Violet Watson's then-fiance was charged with setting the fire. But the charge was dropped after laboratory tests found no trace of an accelerant. The cause of the fire is listed as undetermined.

The lawsuit says the landlords failed to maintain a safe property for the home's residents. The suit says there were smoke alarm issues and that the house had "faulty wiring."

Fire damaged at the House of India restaurant in University City. The front door is boarded up following a fire overnight Friday. The building is now condemned. The fire started around 12:15 a.m. at the 20-year-old restaurant which is located at Delmar Blvd.and Berick Drive. University City firefighters got a call for reports of smoke coming from the roof. Crews found a fire in the kitchen. They were able to keep the fire to the kitchen and put it out in less than 45 minutes. The restaurant had only been closed a couple of hours. There are no reports of injuries.

Crews from several fire departments are still on the scene of a three-alarm fire at a Creve Coeur apartment complex.

The blaze in the 11,000 block of Oak Forest Parkway Drive began a little before 2:30 Thursday morning.

At one point, flames could be seen shooting through the roof.

At least one resident and a firefighter have been injured. Both were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Dozens of people have been displaced from their homes.Witnesses tell Fox 2 news a man living on the second floor was shouting fire and that he'd fallen asleep while smoking a cigarette. Firefighters have not confirmed that as a cause.

A meat smoker may be to blame for a two-alarm fire that's destroyed the Bandana's Barbecue restaurant in Crystal City this morning. Fire investigators are on the scene to make a final determination. There are no reports of any injuries.

Fire crews were called around 3:30 a.m. to a report of a dumpster fire next to the building. But it turned out to be an eight foot meat smoker that was attached to the restaurant and was on fire. Intense wind made it tough for firefighters to get a handle on the fire.

Crystal City police shut down Bailey Road at South Truman for traffic control. .

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. (AP) - Two people are dead after a fire broke out at a home in St. Genevieve. KFVS-TV reports the fire occurred around 4 p.m. Sunday. Names of the elderly victims, a man and a woman, have not been released. Fire officials say the cause of the fire has not been determined but the kitchen area was badly damaged.

SAVERTON, Mo. (AP) - Juveniles are suspected in a series of fires at a tiny Mississippi River town in northeast Missouri.

Ralls County and state investigators say three fires over the past four months at vacant homes in Saverton were intentionally set by youngsters. The Hannibal Courier-Post reports that the names and ages of the suspects, and the number of them, were not released.

The matter has been turned over to juvenile authorities.

Saverton is an unincorporated town of about 75 residents near Hannibal and about 100 miles north of St. Louis.