At 12:37 p.m. Saturday (9/12), the West Plains Fire department responded to a wooded area at 1106 Missouri Ave., near the Howell County Sheriff’s Department for a unknown type of fire. Upon arrival, fire personnel found what appeared to be a homeless camp, and the surrounding woods were on fire.
Firefighters called in a backhoe to separate some of the debris and assist in clearing a path
to safely make it to the scene of the fire. Firefighters then extinguished the fire and cleared scene.
While firefighters were responding to the call, an ambulance was dispatched to the Howell
County Sheriff Office for a male patient with severe burns. Before arrival of the first units, a male subject took off running and was found at OMC Emergency Room a short time later. The patient was then flown by air ambulance to the burn unit at Mercy Hospital in Springfield with severe burns.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the West Plains Police Department.
Between the dates of Dec. 6, 2019 and Sept. 12, 2020, the fire department has responded to seven separate calls to the ‘homeless camp.’
Additional information will be released at a later time.
