Fire to Exterior of Edina Home Deemed Suspicious

By Echo Menges

EDINA, Mo. — Authorities are investigating a suspicious fire reported Friday afternoon at the home of Nick and Ashley Zahringer at the southwest corner of North Second Street and Smallwood Street in Edina.

Emergency responders were dispatched at approximately 4:04 p.m. Friday. Responding agencies included the Edina Volunteer Fire Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Edina Police Department, Knox County Ambulance District and Knox County Rescue Squad.

According to information gathered at the scene, a neighbor called in the fire after smoke was spotted coming from the residence.

Ceiarra and Buddy Burt told the Sentinel they were returning home to their residence about a block east of the fire when they heard a boy screaming for help and noticed smoke coming from the property. The couple said they immediately turned around and drove to the scene.

A boy identified as Sam was reportedly the only person home at the time. He said he had been in the alley working on his lawn mower when he saw smoke and began yelling for help.

Before firefighters arrived, Buddy Burt used a blanket found on the property to extinguish the flames. The fire was located on an exterior wall near a side door of the home.

The fire had already been put out when firefighters arrived on scene. Volunteer firefighters used a thermal imager to check for possible fire spread inside the wall before clearing the scene.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.

The most heavily damaged item appeared to be an unused doggie door leaning against the exterior of the home. The doggie door was reportedly not operational, and no nearby electrical wiring could be located in the area where the fire started.

Authorities have deemed the fire suspicious. The Edina Police Department is asking anyone with information related to the incident to contact Edina City Hall.