Fire stopped in time outside Monett Presbyterian Church

Lightning speculated as cause for transformer blaze

A fire outside the First Presbyterian Church, 1600 E. Sycamore, in Monett on Aug. 13, was stopped by firefighters before it could damage the facility.
According to Monett Fire Chief John Vincent, witnesses called in the fire at 3:31 p.m. Firefighters found heavy smoke on the east side of the building coming from a transclosure around three transformers set against the structure. Responding city utility workers turned off the power, enabling firemen to extinguish the blaze. Vincent said two engines and the ladder truck responded, typical for any structure fire, and placed Aurora City and Monett Rural departments on standby. The 10-person crew stayed on scene for approximately two hours, pouring water on the units to cool the oil inside the transformers.
One of the three breakers inside the transclosure remained functional. Daryl Fenski, electric department foreman, said this type of electrical apparatus is meant to be set on poles. The ground units are “the oldest and most dangerous” in the city’s system. He speculated a lightning strike by a nearby oak tree, which has a history of lightning strikes and harboring squirrels that have blown fuses, may have hit close enough to cause one of the breakers to fail, ultimately erupting into flames.
Smoke was found inside the attic of the church building but no structural damage. Church members promptly emptied refrigerators to save their contents.
Fenski said the city hired a subcontractor to replace all the transformers so that activities could resume in the church within two days. Newer units have a different voltage output, but putting one in place would require more time and significant expense.
Mike Garrett with the church reported the fire took place outside the church nursery, a room with exterior bricks and interior concrete blocks, protecting the structure. Neighbors, he said, heard a popping sound from the transformers around two hours before the fire erupted. Exterior bricks were blackened by the blaze. Garrett praised the prompt response by city crews for preventing further damage.