Warrenton Oil Recovering After Warehouse Fire
TRUESDALE, Mo. -- Warrenton Oil Co. should be able to move back into its corporate offices soon, after a fire last week destroyed a warehouse attached to the offices. The warehouse acted a supply house for Warrenton's 29 FastLane convenience stores.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the fire started between 5 and 5:30 a.m. Thursday in the metal warehouse, measuring 30 feet tall, 150 feet long and 70 feet wide. Items inside included cleaning solvents, windshield washer fluid, motor oil, power steering fluids and paper products. The fire was under control by 10:30 a.m. with about 100 firefighters contributing to the effort, said Scott Avery of the O'Fallon Fire Protection District. The cause is still being investigated, the report said.
For now, Warrenton Oil has moved into temporary offices, just a couple of blocks west from the burned warehouse. Company vice president Mark Baker said managers will work with officials to investigate the fire's source, but he said little else in a news release about the company's future, the Dispatch reported. "It looks like the fire might have started in the mezzanine area," Baker said. "We are working to assess the extent of damage and keep our employees and business stakeholders informed."
Even as firefighters continued to battle the smoking building, Truesdale officials were offering help to Warrenton Oil, a family-owned company that has 470 employees, several car washes and two hotels aside from its convenience stores -- all in Missouri.
City clerk MaryLou Rainwater said Truesdale officials already have offered warehouse space and the use of equipment. "We hope that they can rebuild," Rainwater said.
No dollar estimate for the damage was available, the newspaper said.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the fire started between 5 and 5:30 a.m. Thursday in the metal warehouse, measuring 30 feet tall, 150 feet long and 70 feet wide. Items inside included cleaning solvents, windshield washer fluid, motor oil, power steering fluids and paper products. The fire was under control by 10:30 a.m. with about 100 firefighters contributing to the effort, said Scott Avery of the O'Fallon Fire Protection District. The cause is still being investigated, the report said.
For now, Warrenton Oil has moved into temporary offices, just a couple of blocks west from the burned warehouse. Company vice president Mark Baker said managers will work with officials to investigate the fire's source, but he said little else in a news release about the company's future, the Dispatch reported. "It looks like the fire might have started in the mezzanine area," Baker said. "We are working to assess the extent of damage and keep our employees and business stakeholders informed."
Even as firefighters continued to battle the smoking building, Truesdale officials were offering help to Warrenton Oil, a family-owned company that has 470 employees, several car washes and two hotels aside from its convenience stores -- all in Missouri.
City clerk MaryLou Rainwater said Truesdale officials already have offered warehouse space and the use of equipment. "We hope that they can rebuild," Rainwater said.
No dollar estimate for the damage was available, the newspaper said.