Four buildings on the south side of Main Street (State Route 185) in downtown St. Peter have been destroyed in an early Sunday morning fire.
There have been no reports of injuries. St. Peter Firemen remained on the scene Sunday morning to make sure the fire was completely out.
Firefighters were hampered by strong winds that spread the fire from one building to the other three buildings, freezing water, and eventually the village of St. Peter running out of water. At that point, firemen began hauling water to the scene. The St. Peter water system is now under a boil order until further notice due to the pressure drop.
St. Peter received mutual aid from Vandalia, Farina, Kinmundy-Alma, Patoka, Brownstown, and St. Elmo among possible others.
Kinmundy-Alma Fire Chief Kevin Day says at least four businesses have been destroyed by the fire. They include plumbing, doll, and sign businesses. He reports the former lumber company that now houses a hunting company that had only about two feet of space between it and the adjoining building was saved. Day reports a backhoe was brought in to tear down what remains of the neighboring building to make sure the fire didn’t rekindle and spread further.
All of the buildings that were destroyed were two-story structures that had little space between them. Day says the fire was so hot it broke out windows in buildings on the other side of Main Street.
A look at the four buildings destroyed in downtown St. Peter after the fire had been extinguished Sunday morning. Photo by James Magnus, Sr.
The fire burned a main power line that knocked out power to 1,314 Ameren Illinois customers in St. Peter, Kinmundy, Farina, Alma, Laclede, Edgewood, and Iola. Ameren Illinois officials tell WJBD/WSIQ News that the main 69KV line went down in St. Peter at 1:02 am. Crews were able to restore all but 121 customers in the St. Peter area at 2:22 Sunday morning by switching to other power lines. Two poles on the main line had to be replaced before power was restored to St. Peter around four Sunday afternoon.
Both the St. Peter Fire Station and Kinmundy Community Center were opened as shelters in the early morning hours for those left without power in the bitter cold. The Red Cross assisted on Sunday with a warming shelter at The Lutheran Church and food being made available through the Lutheran School.
The fire was first reported around one Sunday morning.
We’ll have further updates when they become available.
Smoke and steam continue to roll out of four downtown St. Peter buildings lost in an early morning fire. Photo by James Magnus, Sr.
Firefighters train a stream of water onto the fire in downtown St. Peter from an aerial unit around daybreak Sunday morning. Photo by Sarah Hoehne.
Ameren Illinois works to replace two poles destroyed on its major transmission line in the area of the fire. Photo by Patty Williams.
If you have any photos of the fire you would like to share, please send them to news@wjbdradio.com with your name for photo credit.
