WELLSTON, Mo. — Firefighters searching a burned Wellston home failed to locate a victim during two seperate search operations, leaving the family to later find his remains, according to KSDK.
For nearly 48 hours after the Feb. 24 fire, Wayne Vann’s family was told no one had been found. Mid County Fire Protection District Chief Randell Sanders said the department has since launched an internal review and is implementing changes to its search procedures.
In an April 1 interview with KSDK, Sanders discussed the department’s search efforts and their limitations.
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The fire broke out the evening of Feb. 24, and crews arrived to find the home fully engulfed. Officials said part of the roof and chimney collapsed within minutes, forcing firefighters to evacuate the structure.
After the blaze was brought under control, crews re-entered and searched the home for about an hour but found no one inside. With neighbors and family members reporting that Vann often stayed elsewhere and sometimes went days without contact, the scene was cleared.
By the next morning, Vann’s family became increasingly concerned when they still could not reach him. Firefighters returned to the home in daylight and conducted a second search that lasted about 25 minutes, but again reported that no body had been found.
Two days later, the family returned to the property, no longer convinced the house had been fully cleared. Minutes after entering the home themselves, they found Vann’s body in his bedroom beneath boards and other debris.
After the incident, Sanders said the department opened an internal review of its standard operating procedures.
He said crews used thermal imaging cameras, but noted that those tools become less effective after a fire cools. He also said the department fell short in obtaining specialized search resources such as cadaver dogs. Officials requested a dog from the St. Louis Fire Department, but when one was not available, the search was ended.
As a result of the review, the department is implementing new guidelines aimed at ensuring searches are more thorough and not based solely on witness accounts at the scene.
It was not reported what the new guidelines are or what related training will be done.
Sanders said the intensity of the fire upon arrival makes it unlikely Vann was alive when crews reached the scene. An autopsy is pending to determine whether he died in the initial fire or from the subsequent structural collapse.
Asked about possible disciplinary action, including claims a family member was told there was no body inside, Sanders said the review of personnel actions is still ongoing.
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