A nearly 100-year-old commercial building housing Wildscapes- a masonry, landscape, fireplace and building supply business- located along U.S. Highway 50, just west of Warrensburg, was engulfed in flames on Friday, January 27.

A news release says the Johnson County Fire Protection District personnel arrived at the business four minutes after being dispatched and found the business fully involved in flames. Due to the wind and dry weather conditions, the fire quickly spread into the median of U.S. Highway 50 and into a field on the opposite side of the four-lane highway from the business. A power pole across the highway also burned. Two additional structures at the business were not damaged by the fire.

Four District stations were assigned to the incident.

Mutual-aid was received from the Warrensburg Fire Department, which responded with its ladder truck, as well as Johnson County Fire Protection District No. 2, which responded with a tanker to assist with hauling water to the scene.

Due to the rural location, water had to be transported to the scene. Five total tankers were utilized, and at one point approximately 120,000 gallons of water had been hauled to the scene from a water source inside Warrensburg.

Three employees were in the business at the time the fire was discovered, and all three exited the building and were not injured.

One firefighter was transported from the scene by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of medical needs. Three firefighters were evaluated by medical personnel at the scene but not transported.

The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Johnson County Fire Investigation Unit, which consisted of fire investigators from the Warrensburg Fire Department and University of Central Missouri Department of Public Safety, responded to investigate the origin and cause of the fire. The investigation is ongoing, and a cause has not been determined.

Late Saturday, January 29, fire-department officials said, “We don’t have any information on the cause of the fire and likely won’t for some time as it continues to be investigated. There continues to be some areas within the structure that are burning. We are aware and are still monitoring the scene.”

They added, “The firefighter transported by ambulance from the scene was released from the hospital this afternoon and is expected to recover and return to duty soon.”