VALLEY PARK, Mo. — Twelve fire departments and 60 firefighters were on the scene of a fire Wednesday morning at a business in Valley Park.
Valley Park First Protection District Assistant Chief Curtis VanGaasbeek told 5 On Your Side that crews responded at about 3 a.m. to the call for smoke at Elite Properties and Landscape Construction located at 524 Marshall Road.
The building was unoccupied when the fire broke out, VanGaasbeek said. The fire was put out at about 10:30 a.m.
At the scene, waves of thick smoke coming from the construction building made it difficult to breathe and see.
Multiple neighbors said they heard a loud explosion around the same time the fire broke out.
Destiny Williams lives directly next door to the business and said she heard a loud explosion that woke her up.
"We came outside and the whole entire building was on fire," Williams said.
The business is located in an industrial area of Marshall Road with propane tanks nearby Williams said she's glad the fire didn't spread.
"I was worried about it coming to my house because the winds were super bad last night and they still are," Williams said.
Williams said she saw the fire spread to nearby trees.
The structure was unsound and forced firefighters to fight the fire from the outside of the building, the assistant chief said.
Unknown materials inside the building were burning, creating a strong and unpleasant smell. No materials were toxic, he said.
The building was still burning as of 7 a.m., as the wind made fighting the flames a difficult task for firefighters, VanGaasbeek said.
Julian Reyter who has worked at the company for 30 years, showed up to the flames. He said he doesn't know what's next for his job.
"I got a big surprise ... I'm guessing no work," Reyter said.
A portion of the building had to be torn down to access the flames. The building owner was left to decide whether to tear down the rest of the building.
The building has been condemned but a company manager said they will rebuild.
St. Louis County Bomb and Arson were investigating the cause of the fire. Tuesday evening the division said the fire doesn't seem suspicious at this time.
There is no timeline for how long the investigation could take to determine the final cause.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or the Apple TV App Store.