Investigation Into 5 Alarm 3949 Blaze Continues

CENTRAL WEST END ST. LOUIS, MO. (KTVI) – Residents of the 3949 apartment building on Lindell Blvd. in the Central West End returned to see the damage from Tuesday’s massive, 5-alarm fire.

The building is a total loss but some areas of the structure were stable enough to allow residents an escorted trip inside for 5 minutes to grab what they could.

“There’s a lot of water damage,” said resident Ashley Reich.

 Her voice trembled as she said how unprepared she was to be in a situation like this.  

“It can happen to you anytime, anyplace.”

St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson hoped to zero in on a cause in the next couple of days.

He blamed modern day construction practices for playing a role in spreading this fire so quickly.

“They don’t build them the way they once did where they used heavy timbers and solid woods,” explained Jenkerson.

He also said the building was up to code and that fire alarm and water sprinkler systems worked.

“That was all intact and worked as planned,” said Jenkerson.    

The fire chief said an electrical problem is one possibility but could not say with certainty what started the fire. He did rule out arson.

“We’ve found nothing suspicious about it.”

Amanda Spitalnik praised firefighters for their hard work as she stood outside the building on Tuesday.

“I think they did the best job they could and we`re so grateful for getting everyone out safe.”

She said a fire captain rescued her cat Wednesday morning.

“Thank you so much to all the firemen that worked so hard.”