Boonville’s Fire Chief Steven Byers says a man and a woman were inside when the fire started. The woman was taken to the hospital, but the man wasn’t hurt.

“Once we arrived on the scene, had a very extensive fire in the house, part of the roof had already collapsed, and part of the floor had already collapsed into the basement,” says Chief Byers. “It sounds like there was some type of electrical malfunction in the area of the dining room and then the fire spread rapidly from that area throughout the house.”

Chief Byers says his crews were on scene for almost seven hours. Firefighters had issues with water pressure from fire hydrants in the area.

“So the first fire hydrant that our tanker went to fill up had extremely low water pressure. Our personnel was directed to go to another fire hydrant down the road, the same problem, so we went to another hydrant on Old Plank Road, again it had extremely low water pressure. Then the fourth hydrant we went to we got a good hydrant with good water pressure,” says Chief Byers.

And on top of the low water pressure, neighbors say it’s a concern that there are no fire hydrants along the street.

“My wife had seen big orange flames and we could see it from our mailbox,” says Justin Kratzer, neighbor. “It’s a big concern because if we have a house fire and they have to bring trucks to put it out and they run out of the water then there goes the house.”

Kratzer lives in the neighborhood and knows the homeowners.

“They are both good people,” says Kratzer. “I just wish they could’ve put it out faster. That way he could’ve still at least have something that he could build for, but now he ain’t got nothing (sic.).”

“With the extent of fire damage to that house, they were lucky,” says Chief Byers. “Luckily they got out.”

Chief Byers says his department plans on contacting Chandler Utilities to figure out why the hydrants have low water pressure. The department will also follow up with the homeowners to see if there were any working smoking alarms in the house.