One Person Dead in Columbia Apartment Fire

One man is dead following a kitchen fire at an apartment just outside the Columbia city limits on the morning of Wednesday, January 1, 2025.

Firefighters responded to the apartment in the 4300 block of Bellview Drive shortly before 4am, where they found a fire in the kitchen, which was quickly extinguished.

Responders found one man inside the apartment and removed him from the home for treatment, however he did not survive.

The name of the man has not been released.

According to the Boone County Fire Protection District, the fire was caused by unattended cooking.

Damages are estimated at around $35,000.

The full press release from the Columbia Fire Department can be read below.

On Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 3:48 a.m., Boone County Joint Communications Center (BCJC) received a 911 call reporting a fire alarm sounding and a smoke odor in the building located in teh 4300 block of Bellview Drive. The incident was located in the Boone County Fire Protection District (BCFPD), with their closest station located at 3900 South Scott Boulevard.

While this area is in the BCFPD’s jurisdiction, two companies from the Columbia Fire Department (CFD) were dispatched on mutual-aid by BCJC to assist. The first fire company to arrive, CFD Quint 6, arrived in six minutes. They reported a two-story, multi-unit apartment building with smoke showing and a working fire in one of the residential units. Due to the limited reponse from the BCFPD, the CFD on-duty battalion chief ordered a City of Columbia Fire Department box alarm that immediately added six additional CFD companies to the incident.

The four person company from the CFD forced entry to the involved unit, stretched pre-connection hoselines from their apparatus, and made an aggressive interior fire attack. During their search for victims, firefighters located an adult male just inside the entry door and successfully removed the patient to the yard.

Paramedics from the University of Missouri Health Care EMS joined CFD firefighters to immediately provide resuscitative care to the victim once removed from the structure. The additional CFD companies quickly arrived and extinguished the fire in five minutes, limiting the loss to one unit. Adjacent residential units were immediately evacuated by arriving companies and checked for extension from the original fire. A secondary search of the building was completed to confirm that no other victims were located. A total of eight CFD companies, with 21 firefighters, responded to this incident. Except for the victim, no civilian or firefighter injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

Unfortunately, the victim was pronounced deceased by MU Health Care EMS paramedics approximately 35 minutes after removal from the structure.

The Boone County Fire Protection District is the authority with jurisdiction for this incident. The media should contact their agency for questions concerning the investigation.

The Columbia Fire Department reminds everyone that smoke alarms, closing bedroom doors, and knowing two ways out of every space in your home can save lives. Remember that smoke alarms should be placed on the ceiling (or on a wall no closer than four inches from the ceiling) on every level of your home and outside of places where people sleep. Check your smoke alarms monthly by pressing the test button (the first of the month is a good reminder-do it today!)  Change your smoke alarm batteries at least twice per year when adjusting your clocks for Daylight Saving Time. Replace any smoke alarm over 10 years old.

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