Fire Guts Mehlville Business, Cause Is Under Investigation

Fire departments from St. Louis, Mehlville and Affton at the intersection of Kingston Drive and Telegraph Road Thursday around 1 p.m. The doors were locked and no one was in the building when fire crews arrived. There were no injuries. It took several hours to totally put the fire out.

The business, MS Lawncare, Inc., is owned by Mike Spears of Imperial. He grew up in Mehlville.

The St. Louis County bomb and arson squad was called to investigate because of the magnitude of the blaze, county bomb and arson squad lead detective David Sandbach said.

The cause is undetermined and under investigation. The roof had totally collapsed, which made the inspection difficult. After the fire was out, he and other inspectors went above the building on a fire ladder to look from above. Later they put on helmets and went inside with flashlights.

County Police Lt. Karl Bulla said normally a dog would be used to sniff for accelerants, such as gasoline, but a landscaping business might have fuel stored on the site. Spears said gasoline was in the building.

“It looks like a total loss,” Spears said. He’s been in the business since 1995 and at this location since 2008.

He had been Christmas shopping with his girlfriend and got calls from nearby businesses about the fire. He arrived around 1:15 p.m.

Kim Papproth, manager of Family Video, located across Kingston Drive from the fire, first noticed thick smoke coming from the building, then half the roof collapsed and then the other half.

Spears said he was preparing for the snow plowing season, and the trucks in the back weren’t damaged. He said hopefully insurance will cover the loss, and he can rebuild and be ready for landscaping in the spring.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to think we’re going out of business,” Spears said. “We’ll regroup and get back going somehow.”