GLEN CARBON — A large fire broke out early Tuesday morning, April 29, 2025, at the Meridian Apartments complex, a 36-unit development still under construction in Glen Carbon, fire officials said. Glen Carbon Fire Chief Jason Whitaker said on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, that lightning is a primary cause under investigation as he cited storms that were in the area at the time of the blaze's start.
The fire was reported just before 4 a.m. on Tuesday at the site of the new apartment complex in Glen Carbon off Meridian Road. Chief Whitaker said the fire was contained to a single building within the complex, which was in various stages of construction.
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Chief Whitaker said, “Lightning is one of the things looking still due to storms in the area,” noting that investigators are awaiting data from the National Weather Service.
The fire was first noticed by motorists passing the scene, who called it in, Whitaker said. Whitaker described the fire as having “a head start” when firefighters arrived and flames were scorching out of the apartment complex under construction.
Mutual aid resources were utilized from nearby departments, including Maryville, Collinsville, Troy, Mitchell, Long Lake, Granite City, Edwardsville and East Alton-Wood River.
Whitaker emphasized that safety was the top priority throughout the response.
"We wanted to make sure we did enough for safe operations to fight the fire," he said. "Safety was a key point of the entire event,” he said.
Firefighters worked quickly to apply water to the fire and establish protection for adjacent buildings, the chief explained.
“The firefighters were able to get water on the fire and set up areas to protect exposures, something they did right away with other units,” Whitaker said.
The Glen Carbon Fire Department noted that fires of this scale are uncommon in the area. The investigation into the exact cause of the fire remains ongoing.
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