BRENTWOOD, Mo. — A fire damaged a set of condos early Friday morning, but a man's story made the incident remarkable.
The fire started around 3 a.m. Friday in the 9000 block of Wrenwood Lane in Brentwood.
Brentwood Fire Department Chief Ronnie Cottrell said one of the residents called them to the scene.
There were two condos affected by the fire, and neither had working batteries in their smoke detectors, Cottrell said.
Trey Rieser called the fire department.
“There was a big fire in the middle of the night, and I opened the door and there was a flame or two," Rieser said. “I closed the door and put a towel underneath the door."
Rieser said his own life wasn't the only one on the line. When he was on the phone with the dispatcher, he said he was advised to look for anyone who might be stuck inside.
Then, he took a leap of faith. He jumped out his window.
Cottrell said Rieser's leap is a lesson.
“Working smoke detectors save lives," he said. "Residents need to check their batteries; they need to change their batteries twice a year when they change clocks.”
Rieser is glad it worked out.
“I lost a lot of things, but I’m just still happy to be alive and doing okay," he said.
Cottrell said crews put out the fire and assessed residents. He said no one was hurt.
Cottrell said the cause of fire is still under investigation. The Brentwood Fire Department is going around the Brentwood Forest neighborhood to offer free smoke detector checks and batteries.