Christmas Eve Fire Destroys Ralls County Home

A rural Ralls County home is destroyed by fire Sunday morning.
Hannibal Rural Fire Protection District crews were called at 8:46 a.m. Sunday to a structure fire at 11391 Rusk Trail off Highway 79.

Firefighters were met at Marblecreek Road by neighbors on four-wheelers, who took Chief Mike Dobson to the home.

Dobson arrived to find that the house had burned to the ground.

The owner of the home, Billy Miles told fire officials that he had started a fire in a wood stove, and that it had spread to the rest of the house.

A creek crossing and a sharp turn in a gravel lane prevented fire crews from getting to the house.

Miles had tried to fight the fire and was taken to Hannibal Regional Hospital for treatment of minor burns.

The house was a total loss. Several pets were also lost in the fire.

Chief Dobson reminds homeowners that there should be at least a ten foot wide access road to any residence, you should be aware of overhead obstructions and addresses should be posted so they can be seen from the roadway.