Fire destroys former Bloomfield PD

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A building in Bloomfield scheduled for demolition burned to the ground in a fire early Saturday morning.

The building, located at 202 Salem St., served as the community's police station until June 2013 when mold was discovered and the department was moved to City Hall.

Fire Chief Joe Shuffler said it was Police Chief Tim Zych who spotted the fire and made the initial report.

Zych was on patrol through Bloomfield's downtown area in the early morning hours when he spotted the fire.

Shuffler said the call came in at 2:32 a.m. and after arriving on scene, he called in both Dexter and Puxico fire department for mutual aid.

The building sat only 12 inches from its nearest neighbor, a vacant former apartment building that also burned several years ago.

Firefighters battled cold temperatures as they fought the fire. Shuffler said that while the fire kept the air warm, the volume of water they pumped was turning to ice almost as fast as it hit the pavement. He said while it didn't create a danger, it did mean firefighters had to be especially cautious while fighting the fire.

Shuffler said an investigation into the fire was unable to pinpoint a specific cause. As a result, it is listed as "undetermined."

While the Missouri State Fire Marshall's office was not called in to the scene, Shuffler said they were consulted in the investigation, which concluded on Saturday, Jan. 18.

Shuffler added that the fire is not believed to be of a suspicious nature.

At the Monday, Jan. 13, 2013, meeting of the Bloomfield Board of Aldermen, the board voted to approve a merchant's license for the company that was awarded the contract to demolish the building.

The contract will likely have to be revisited to determine the cost of the fire clean-up.