VIENNA — A basement fire at Bud’s Auto on Saturday morning, was contained after Vienna firefighters traced the source to an electrical issue that had caused problems the day before. With a 40 second response time.

Vienna Fire Chief Mike Smith said smoke was visible from the gable eaves, and mutual aid was requested from Argyle and Freeburg. Smith said the department’s tanker arrived within about 40 seconds of the first engine and a second engine from the station reached the scene at 9:06 a.m.

Firefighters entered the basement to reach the source while another crew ventilated the first floor. Smith noted there were no complications with the water or hydrant located on First Street, in fact the hydrant provided steady water flow.

“We pumped about 2,000 gallons from the fire hydrant,” Smith said. “No issues with the fire hydrant or the water system.”

The fire was contained to the basement and extinguished within minutes. No injuries were reported.

Smith said the property owner, Buddy Thompson, had mentioned earlier concerns with the service panel. Security footage later helped confirm where the Nov. 15 fire started.

“He was able to get it on his camera a little bit, the security cameras, about what time it started and initiated,” Smith said. “It kind of put itself out and kind of flared up again.”

Since the origin was already clear, Smith checked with the state fire marshal but was told a response was not necessary.

“We kind of already knew where it started and where it originated from, he didn’t need to come,” Smith said.

The Communications Director of Missouri Department of Public Safety, Mike O’Connell wrote in an email to The Advocate,

“No request was received by the Division of Fire Safety to investigate the fire,” O’Connell wrote.

While first responders had a 40 second response time, they were dispatched to the wrong location. Smith said the address was listed as Highway 63 north instead of south.

“It’s aggravating,” Smith said. “It wastes time that we could be…the time it takes to figure out where we’re going.”

He added that in a more severe situation, the delay could have been significant.

“In a situation where two minutes really matters, that could have been it,” he said.

The dispacther for the call is still in training and the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of ongoing training for 911 dispatchers and the rural area surrounding Maries County. Smith said the call was reported at 8:55 a.m. and the tones were sent at 8:57 a.m. The first engine went en route at 9:02 and was the first to arrive with three firefighters on board.