Fire heavily damages Mt. Vernon home

No injuries were reported following a house fire that broke out Monday night in Mt. Vernon. Around 7:45 p.m. a call came in regarding a fully involved structure fire at 321 West Water Street, the home of Bob and Christine Maddocks, according to Mt. Vernon Fire Chief Brad DeLay.
DeLay said the fire appeared to start in or near the garage area but the source remains unknown.
“Owners were not home at the time but came home to see smoke coming from the garage area,” DeLay said. “They went to open the garage door and I believe what fire was there probably got a fresh whiff of oxygen and the fire took off.”
DeLay added that the house is probably a total loss, due to excessive heat and smoke damage. Answering the fire call for mutual aid were Miller City Fire Department, Miller Rural Fire Protection District and Stotts City Fire Protection District.