--
Dec. 15--LEMAY -- Firefighters were battling a stubborn fire that gutted a lawncare business this afternoon.
A passerby reported a fire at M.S. Lawncare Inc., on Kingston Drive at Telepgraph Road, about 1 p.m., firefighters said. No one was inside the landscaping business at the time of the fire.
Lemay firefighters arrived and fire trucks from Mehlville, St. Louis and Affton helped battle the blaze. They were still putting water on the gutted building about 2:30 p.m.
Mike Spears, 42, of Imperial said the business had been in his family since 1995 and he had run it from that location since 2008.
"It's devastating," said Spears as he stood on the median of Telegraph Road, which was closed while firefighters sprayed water from ladder trucks. "I'm hoping we can get back on our feet without too much trouble. I'm sick to my stomach."
Spears said the building housed equipment, including some fertilizer and lawnmowers. He said he employs about 20 people in the summer and about six this time of year.
It wasn't clear what caused the fire.
Joel Currier covers breaking news for STLtoday.com and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
