BELLE — Maries County Sheriff Mark Morgan, on Sept. 26, denied allegations made in a Sept. 22 letter from Denenberg Tuffley, PLLC, the insurance company of the Vienna Pointe Residential Facility destroyed in an Aug. 7 fire, that one of his officers may have caused the blaze, which exceeded $4.4 million in property damage. Both the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office and Maries County Prosecutor Anthony (Tony) Skouby have acknowledged ongoing investigations into the fire, but a suspect has not been named. Dispatch CAD reports place Vienna Police Chief Shannon Thompson at the scene.

“Your correspondence indicates that my office may bear responsibility for damages arising from one of my deputies allegedly being on scene approximately 90 minutes prior to the fire starting, and further asserts that the deputy was observed extinguishing a cigarette while present.

“After reviewing our records, I have found no indication that an on-duty deputy was present at Vienna Pointe during the time you reference. Our dispatch logs reflect that deputies were not on scene until after the fire had already been reported.”

Morgan offered to assist if the company wanted to send him a photograph of the individual.

“If you are able to provide a photograph or still image from the footage in which the individual is observed, I will make every effort to assist in identifying the person in question,” Morgan wrote.

Vienna Pointe was a mental health facility that housed an estimated 32 residents. The facility, which opened in 2023, was completely destroyed in the early morning fire on Aug. 7, resulting in all patients being transferred to alternate locations.

A records request to the county resulted in a letter from the facility’s insurance carrier, Denenberg Tuffley, PLLC, that alleges they possess the facility’s surveillance footage.

“The cause of the loss was initially undetermined, but our subsequent review of the assisted-living facility’s surveillance footage shows a Maries County Sheriff’s officer visiting the facility, extinguishing a cigarette in a planter on his way in, and stepping on the planter on his way out to try to extinguish the apparently still-burning embers. The fire started in that planter roughly 90 minutes after the officer left,” according to the letter. “As a result, the Maries County Sheriff’s Office may be responsible for the ensuing damage, which is expected to exceed $4.4 million.”

Following a Nov. 3 records request, Morgan provided copies of the CAD report, which shows a call at 11:27 p.m. on Aug. 6 followed by a hang-up. Maries County Deputy Michael Davis was dispatched to the location at 11:29 p.m. on Aug. 6, but was disregarded 30 seconds later.

Thompson was en route to the facility at 11:42 p.m., on scene by 11:57 p.m., and completed the call at 11:58 p.m., according to the CAD report.

An information request to the State Fire Marshal’s Office resulted in an emailed response from Mike O’Connell, communications director with the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

“I just talked with the Division of Fire Safety. That fire at the assisted living facility in Vienna remains under investigation. There is nothing else DFS can share since it’s an ongoing investigation,” O’Connell wrote.

An Aug. 7 incident report from the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office classified the fire as accidental. Investigator John Malcolm noted in his report that the cause of the fire wasn’t determined.

“Through my examination and subsequent interviews, this fire is listed as undetermined,” Malcolm wrote.

Morgan said his department is not investigating the fire.

“I can say for sure we’re not investigating it and have not been requested to investigate it,” Morgan said on Tuesday. “It’s my understanding it’s being handled by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.”

When Thompson was asked if his department was investigating the fire, if he saw a planter on fire or if other officers responded to the call with him, he said no. He said “no” he was not aware of the city discussing the letter that was sent to the county and that no one had questioned him about the fire.

“It was a terrible tragedy, and I hate that those folks were displaced like they were,” Thompson said.

Skouby confirmed his office is aware of an investigation.

“You know I can’t comment on ongoing investigations into the nursing home fire,” Skouby said. “There is an investigation, but I can’t tell you the name of the suspect.”

Skouby said as soon as information becomes available, he will answer what questions he can.

“I will probably be making the charging decision, so there’s no wasted time, but I will probably turn it over to the Attorney General’s Office to prosecute,” Skouby said. “I want to start the clock and let people in the community know what’s going on as soon as possible.”