TRUESDALE, Mo. -- A large oil company building in eastern Missouri caught fire Thursday morning, sending smoke high into the air and creating concern for firefighters battling the blaze, said the Associated Press.
Warrenton Oil Co. operates 26 FastLane convenience stores, 31 car wash bays and 12 food operations. The wholesale division sells and distributes fuel oils and lubricants.
The fire broke out before 6:00 a.m. in Truesdale, just south of Interstate 70 in Warren County and about 50 miles west of St. Louis.
The warehouse measures 150 feet long, 70 feet wide and 30 feet wide, according to a Suburban Journal report. No oil drums or storage tanks caught fire, Scott Avery, a public information officer with the O'Fallon Fire Protection District, told the newspaper. The warehouse stored items sold in the company's c-stores,as well aswax paper products and cleaning fluids.Firefighters were warned that there were items inside that could explode. The cause of the fire was not known.
Avery described the interior of the warehouse as likely being a total loss. Firefighters were able to carry out computers and office equipment from an adjacent building, also owned by Warrenton Oil, to mitigate the losses.
Firefighters and hazardous materials crews from Warren, Lincoln, St. Charles and St. Louis counties were helping to put out the blaze. One firefighter from O'Fallon, Mo., suffered a back injury battling the blaze.
The company was founded in 1972 by R.G. and Betty Baker and remains family-owned, with the couple's eight children all involved in management of the firm.
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