A Niangua woman was rescued without harm in the early hours of Monday morning amidst a storm that carried severe winds through Webster County. The Niangua Volunteer Fire Department received a call at 3:00 a.m. reporting that there was a tree uprooted from the storm that landed on the roof of a senior citizen housing structure.
“A bunch of the limbs and stuff pinned the door closed and the woman couldn’t get out of it,” said Fire Chief Shawn Ricks. “We had to cut the tree up on the roof and work or way in because there was so much pressure on the limbs on the bottom that we were afraid if we tried to make cuts anywhere else it was going to fold over right into her front door.”
Crews worked for an hour and a half to free the woman, who sustained no injuries during the incident.
“It had to have made one heck of a noise coming down on top of that house. From what we could tell, it came down right where she was sleeping so I imagine it was a very noisy wakeup for her. She was scared,” Ricks recalled. “But I’m very proud of our guys. The weather was bad and they worked to help this woman and get her free in the pouring rain.”
Six volunteer firefighters responded to the scene, which was solely resolved by the Niangua Volunteer Fire Department. According to the Chief, the woman went to her neighbors house following the incident and is expected to be able to return to her home, which will need roof repairs.
The Niangua Volunteer Fire Department runs largely off of donated time and funds. To support the Niangua Volunteer Fire Department, reach out on Facebook or by calling 417-473-6226.
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