Blaze that totaled Thornfield home started as kitchen fire

A Thornfield-area home was destroyed by fire Thursday, Jan. 24, in a blaze that started when one of the residents, Roxanne Stout, was cooking fried chicken. 

Mike O’Connell, communications director for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, said that, according to the fire marshal’s report, “The occupant said she was frying chicken and placed the meat into the hot oil, which boiled over, causing the fire. She went to the attached garage to get a fire extinguisher and when [she] returned to the kitchen the fire had spread to cabinets, walls and floor, so she got out and called for help.”

Stout’s husband, Robert, was also home at the time of the fire as well as their two older children. The family escaped without injury, but Roxanne Stout said Sunday in an online message to the Times that they “lost the family cat” in the fire. 

The home, on Stout Lane off County Road 945B north of JJ Highway, has a Squires address but is in Thornfield Volunteer Fire Department’s District, The fire marshal’s report said the home “collapsed into the basement” as a result of the fire.

Larry Tucker, a Thornfield VFD firefighter and also president of the TVFD board, said when firefighters arrived they found only one wall of the wood-frame home still standing. 

“It was pretty much gone. I don’t think anything was salvaged. We stayed with it to protect the surrounding property, but the road was rough to the point that we couldn’t get the water tankers up there,” he said. “We had to have four-wheel-drive on the brush truck to get back in there, and the ground was so soft you didn’t dare get off the road. It was a bad situation.”

Wasola, Squires and Theodosia Area VFDs responded in mutual aid, along with Ozark County Sheriff’s deputies, White River Valley Electric Co-op and the American Red Cross. This week’s sheriff’s report (see page 8) shows that the first call came in at 6:35 p.m. Jan. 24. Tucker didn’t know what time the first firefighters arrived on scene but thought it might have been 20-30 minutes later. 

Roxanne Stout responded to online inquiries from the Times through the Happy Hog Gourmet Sausage Company’s Facebook page. The company, which has an Ava address, advertises its products as being made with “no antibiotics, pasture-raised pork, no farrowing crates and raised on a vegetarian diet. No hormones administered.” A Dec. 31 Facebook post says the gourmet sausage is sold at Ruby’s in Springfield and also at Hy-Vee and Lucky’s stores. 

Roxanne Stout said Sunday the family is staying in the Super 8 Motel in Ava. Asked what area  residents might do to help them, she answered, “Thank you so much. We have some wonderful neighbors that have helped us out. We are still reeling from shock and haven’t even begun to even think straight.”