Three-alarm blaze ravages The Majestic condo complex near Table Rock Lake

August 01, 2012|by Chris Replogle, Chris Brewer and Jerry Jacob

NEAR BRANSON, Mo. - A three-alarm blaze continues to burn overnight at the Majestic Condominiums complex on Table Rock Lake. The fire began Wednesday afternoon and has consumed practically the entire building.

No one was injured, but many people lost almost everything they own. Other residents were able to carry many of their important belongings to their vehicle before they were no longer allowed back inside for safety reasons.

The complex housed both overnight and fulltime residents and is managed by Thousand Hills. The complex has close to one hundred units, with plans for additional units to be built. It is unclear how many units were destroyed, but the structure looks to be a total loss.

Firefighters from the Western Taney County and Southern Stone County Fire Protection Districts and other Southwest Missouri departments worked the blaze but were unable to stop the fast-moving fire from ravaging the building. Firefighters moved to a defensive stance at roughly 5 p.m.

The condo sits off of Highway 265 near Table Rock Dam. Firefighters say they received multiple 911 calls from the burning structure.

Wednesday evening, the state fire marshall was on the scene, however the structure was still buring and considered unsafe to approach.

The cause is unknown, but witnesses around Table Rock Lake say they first noticed the fire on a balcony, a balcony they believed to be from one of the residential units.

As the fire grew in the early evening, two strong storms passed over the burning structure. The first cell created 30-40 mile per hour winds that created what one fire fighter called a "firestorm," threatening to spread the flames up a wooded hill where several dozen private residences are located.

However, a second, more powerful storm brought sheets of rain which ended any chance of the fire spreading, though it was not enough to completely douse the flames.

Law enforcement prevented news media from getting close to the structure, however the fire departments involved say they plan to post their most dramatic photos on their Facebook pages:

Southern Stone County Fire Protection District: http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-SOUTHERN-STONE-COUNTY-FIRE-PROTECTION-DISTRICT/376158641696

Western Taney County Fire Protection District: http://www.facebook.com/WTCFPD

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