Building materials supplier R.P. Lumber in Edwardsville catches fire amid snowstorm
A large fire was reported at the Edwardsville building materials supplier R.P. Lumber on Monday, causing power outages for residents as frigid temperatures and snow hit the region.
The fire started in a storage building filled with construction material, according to the Edwardsville Fire Department. The fire did not spread from that building, but three nearby houses sustained heat damage, the department said.
One person was taken to the hospital. The fire department did not provide details about the person’s identity or why the person had to go to the hospital. Information was also not available Monday about the cause of the fire.
The fire department first responded to the fire at 12:26 p.m. As of 4 p.m., the department said the blaze was under control. Firefighters had trouble extinguishing it because a natural gas line ruptured, which fed the fire.
R.P. Lumber fire causes power outages
Meanwhile on Monday, over 1,500 Ameren Illinois customers, or 12% of those with Ameren service in Edwardsville, were reporting power outages, according to the company’s outage map.
Ameren Illinois spokesman Brian Bretsch said the outages started when a power line burned down because of the fire at R.P. Lumber. At 3 p.m., he said 12 linemen were on the scene to make repairs while customers were temporarily rerouted to a different power source.
Bretsch said Ameren expects most customers to have their electric power back on by 4:30 p.m. Monday. Some customers’ natural gas was also turned off during the fire, according to Bretsch. He said at 3 p.m. he was waiting for updates on how many people were affected and when gas would be restored for them.
During the outages, Bretsch encouraged anyone who needs shelter from the cold to contact family or friends or to visit a warming shelter while following COVID-19 regulations.
These are the warming centers in the Edwardsville area, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services:
- Edwardsville Public Library, 112 South Kansas St. in Edwardsville. 618-692-7556.
- Edwardsville Police Department, 400 North Main St. in Edwardsville. 618-656-2131.
- Glen Carbon Centennial Library, 198 South Main St. in Glen Carbon. 618-288-1212.
- Glen Carbon Police Department, 149 North Main St. in Glen Carbon. 618-288-7226.
- Hamel Community Building, 10 Park Ave. in Hamel. 618-633-2484.
- Tri Township Public Library, 209 South Main St. in Troy. 618-667-2133.
Because of the power outage, two temporary warming centers also opened Monday at the Wildey Theatre, 252 North Main St. in Edwardsville, and the Meyer Center at the Edwardsville YMCA, 7348 Goshen Road, according to the city of Edwardsville.
This story was originally published February 15, 2021 at 2:54 PM.
