ELSBERRY, Mo. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
(ATF) Kansas City Field Division, the Missouri Division of Fire Safety’s Office of the
State Fire Marshal and the Lincoln County Arson Task Force announced today that Roy
William Gunn, age 33, of Elsberry, Mo., was arrested in connection with multiple arson
fires.

Beginning in July 2011, ATF, the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office and the
Lincoln County Arson Task Force have been investigating a series of fires in the
Elsberry, Mo. The fires occurred primarily in residential and commercial structures,
causing a total of approximately $500,000 in damage. Gunn was arrested yesterday in
Elsberry, Mo. and is currently being held on state charges including arson, burglary and
knowingly burning. Gunn was arrested in relation to the below incidents:

• On July 19, 2011, a fire occurred at a vacant residential structure located at 309 S.
Third St. in Elsberry, Mo.

• On July 24, 2011, a fire occurred at a vacant residential structure located at 303 S.
Fourth Street in Elsberry, Mo.

• On Aug. 30, 2011, a fire occurred at a vacant residence located at 306 S. Third St.
in Elsberry, Mo.

• On Aug. 31, 2011, a fire occurred at a vacant commercial structure located at 990
Highway B in Elsberry, Mo. The business at the structure was formerly known as
Stu’s Countryside Quick Shop.

• On Sept. 10, 2011, a fire occurred at an occupied commercial structure located at
301 S. Main St. in Elsberry, Mo.

• On Oct. 30, 2011, a natural cover fire was discovered at property located 2803 N.
Highway 79, south of Elsberry, Mo.

• On Feb. 14, 2012, a fire occurred at a vacant residential structure located at 301 S.
Third St. in Elsberry, Mo.

“Arson is a serious and potentially deadly crime that impacts an entire
community”, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Michael P. Gleysteen. “Cooperation is
the cornerstone to success in any investigation and ATF is a proud partner in this case.”

“After seven long months and thousands of man hours, our residents and business
owners can sleep a little better tonight knowing we were successful in removing this
dangerous threat from our community. Throughout the investigation, our community had
the unconditional support of many state, federal and local agencies which ultimately led
to the arrest of the responsible person”, said Elsberry Fire Chief Kevin Hailey. “On
behalf of Elsberry Fire Protection District and our community, I thank the following
agencies for their outstanding support: Missouri Division of Fire Safety, ATF, Lincoln
County Arson Task Force, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Troy Police Department,
Elsberry Police Department, Lincoln County Fire Protection District #1, Northwest Fire
Protection District, Winfield-Foley Fire Protection District, Wright City Fire Protection
District, Eolia Fire Protection District and Old Monroe Fire Protection District.”

The case was investigated by ATF, the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office and
the Lincoln County Arson Task Force. The Lincoln County Arson Task Force consists of
the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the Troy Police Department, the Elsberry Police
Department, the Lincoln County Fire Protection District #1, the Northwest Fire
Protection District, the Winfield-Foley Fire Protection District, the Wright City Fire
Protection District, the Eolia Fire Protection District and the Old Monroe Fire Protection
District.

ATF is the federal agency with jurisdiction for investigating fires and crimes of
arson. For more information about ATF, go to www.atf.gov. Follow @ATFHQ on
Twitter.

As is always the case, these charges are merely accusations and do not constitute
proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty.

Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 at 10:03 A.M. Lincoln County Fire Protection District #1 responded to a reported motor vehicle accident at Hwy. 61 and Hwy. KK at the crossover just North of Troy. Firefighters arrived to find two vehicles involved, one in the median and a Jeep Grand Cherokee overturned in a ditch on the side of the road.

Four occupants had exited the overturned vehicle, including a seven-week old child and were on the ground next to the Jeep. Fortunately, three adults sustained only minor injuries and the child appeared unharmed. All were transported by Lincoln County Ambulance District to St. Joseph’s West in Lake St. Louis for evaluation. The driver of the vehicle in the median was not injured.

The Missouri Highway Patrol is currently investigating the cause of the accident.

Firefighters quickly located two victims, one from the passenger van and one from the dump truck who were walking around.  The dump truck driver was flown by helicopter to St. Johns Mercy Medical Center and the driver of the passenger van was taken by ambulance to the same hospital by Paramedics from Lincoln County Ambulance District.

Firefighters and MODOT removed several tons of corn from the roadway.  The corn, now in the grassy area on the side of the road will be completely removed with a vacuum truck in order to prevent the attraction of deer and other animals to the heavily travelled Highway.

The Missouri Highway Patrol is currently investigating the cause of the accident.

Firefighters arrived to find a doublewide mobile home and attached garage heavily involved with fire.  After confirming all occupants had evacuated, crews attacked the fire and quickly brought it under control.  Firefighters worked through the 18 degree temperatures for almost four hours to extinguish hot spots and check for fire extension into unburned areas.

Unfortunately, the majority of the home and contents were destroyed or damaged by smoke or flames.  In all, six fire trucks responded to the scene with approximately 15 Firefighters.  The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and remains under investigation, although no foul play is suspected.

Some tips for safe outdoor burning:

• If you can wait, please do.  It’s always better to burn when conditions will not contribute to unwanted fire spread.

• All outdoor burning, including charcoal barbecue grills should be constantly attended.  An unattended fire, even for a few minutes can quickly grow out of control.  Fire typically doubles in size every 30 seconds.

• Always have a garden hose or fire extinguisher nearby in case an ember or radiant heat ignites nearby vegetation.

As always, feel free to call us with any questions.  636-528-8567

Some tips for safe outdoor burning:

• If you can wait, please do.  It’s always better to burn when conditions will not contribute to unwanted fire spread.

• All outdoor burning, including charcoal barbecue grills should be constantly attended.  An unattended fire, even for a few minutes can quickly grow out of control.  Fire typically doubles in size every 30 seconds.

• Always have a garden hose or fire extinguisher nearby in case an ember or radiant heat ignites nearby vegetation.

As always, feel free to call us with any questions.  636-528-8567

Freeman sustained a head injury and severe burns to several areas of his body.  He was transported by Lincoln County Ambulance District to St. John’s Mercy Burn Unit in Creve Coeur, MO and was reported in stable condition as of the day of incident.

The cause of the explosion was accidental and resulted from a halogen work light that was lowered into the tank just prior to the incident.  The intense heat of the halogen bulb ignited the gasoline vapors.

Firefighters arrived to find a compact car had crashed through the front glass and doors of the Dollar Tree. The car, driven by an elderly woman then struck several product stands and racks before coming to a stop approximately twenty feet inside the building.

The woman reported no injuries, but was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. No one was injured inside the store.