Mountain Grove, MO – At 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, a building collapse on the square in Mountain Grove sparked a fire destroying two buildings and damaging 2 others. The fire was fought with the combined efforts of the eight departments from Mountain Grove, Cabool, Norwood, Mansfield, Hartville, Houston, Willow Springs, and West Plains. Structural engineers will be assessing the neighboring buildings to ensure safety of nearby buildings.
The main fire was controlled around 6:30 p.m. Matt Brown, owner of Matteo’s Pizza, assisted first responders in clearing civilians from the area. No civilians were harmed during the fire. The combination of a heat index over 100 degrees and battling the major fire, 25 firefighters became overheated. Their treatment was handled by Texas County Memorial Hospital, Mercy, and Lifeline and all firefighters have recovered.
Lieutenant David Todd offered his gratitude on the sense of community he felt in the face of this destruction:
