UPDATED, 1:24 p.m. with new details on Carole Buck's escape

LADUE -- A fire early today heavily damaged the million-dollar home of Carole Buck, widow of legendary Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck.

Carole Buck was at home asleep when the fire broke out but she escaped safely, said Lt. Darin McClure of the Ladue Police Department. The two-alarm fire was reported at 1:36 a.m. by the home's alarm system, he said.

Carole Buck is staying with relatives now. She was out of the house by the time firefighters arrived and required no medical treatment, said Ladue Fire Chief Ted Jury.

"She was alerted to wake up in the nick of time," said her son, Joe Buck, a Fox broadcaster.

The fire damaged some of the family's collection of sports memorabilia and photos.

Carole Buck in 2003 photo


The home is at 11 Glen Creek Lane in Ladue, near Clayton and Conway roads. No word on the cause of the fire. The fire chief said he couldn't comment on the cause until he talked with his fire investigator. He said it may be a day or two before the cause is announced.

As soon as he heard about the fire, Joe Buck rushed to his mother's home about 2 a.m. to see flames billowing out of the house. He took her to his home so she could sleep. "Firefighters just did an unbelievable job to salvage what they could," he added.

Fire officials said it was a two-alarm fire. They were able to recover a painting, some photographs and a bust of Jack Buck from the rubble. No one was injured.

Ladue Fire Chief Ted Jury said that the fire had spread rapidly after smoldering for some time in the attic.

As Joe Buck drove his mother to his home, he said he told her: "We just made the greatest trade we could ever make. We traded a bunch of stuff for you, and I'll make that trade anyday."

In the rubble, firefighters recovered an American flag that had been on Jack Buck's casket. They had it delivered to Joe Buck's home so it could be there for Carole Buck.

The flag "was there when my mom woke up today. It meant the world to all of us," Joe Buck said.

Fire officials say the fire broke through the roof and spread quickly. It was declared "under control" in 2 1/2 hours, said Jury, the fire chief.

More than a half dozen departments were called to help fight the blaze. Fire officials reported having trouble accessing enough hydrants and getting firetrucks to the scene because the street is relatively short and narrow. The street has about 15 homes and it dead-ends in a T, with two cul-de-sacs.

"It's a small, private street, and you can't get all the fire trucks you would like down the street," Jury said.

Only one ladder truck was raised to fight the fire, Jury said. Also, fire crews had to run a lot of lines across Clayton Road to get additional hydrants, he said.

However, Jury said it didn't hamper the department's efforts to fight the fire. "We're used to it," Jury said. "We have small, narrow streets in Ladue. We deal with it all the time."

Jack Buck, who died in 2002, never lived in the home. Carole Buck moved in about a year after her husband died.

According to records from the St. Louis County assessor's office, the home is owned by the Buck Family Residence Trust. It was purchased on Feb. 20, 2003, for $945,000, records show. Built in 1996, it is a Cape-style home with three bedrooms.

Joe Buck, sporting a polo shirt and ballcap, was calm as he spoke to reporters near the entrance to the subdivision about 10 a.m. today. He confirmed that some sports memorabilia was destroyed. "The bottom line is, there are pictures that I'm sure aren't going to be recoverable," he said.

The alarm system woke his mother, and immediately alerted firefighters.

"If the alarm doesn't go off, then it's a different story to tell," Joe Buck said. "Thank God it worked, and thank God for the Ladue Fire Department."

Joe Buck provided reporters with details of his mother's escape.

"She woke up and by the time she was getting out of the house, she saw the flashing lights outside and it was illuminating smoke that was already inside the house," Joe Buck said. "The two can lights above the area where she left the house basically exploded and she got out, and then the firefighters had to deal with the backdraft situation. When they opened the door, a big fireball spilled out of there. So all of this just, again, reinforces the fact that we are lucky that she is 100 percent fine. I mean, she's totally fine."

After the insurance company and restoration crews examined the home, Joe Buck and his sister Julie Buck each were given a pair of boots to wear so they could go into the home and look around. One pair was provided by firefighters; the second by the restoration company.

Joe Buck said he's not sure if the family will rebuild the home.

"I don't know if she'll rebuild here or start over somewhere else," Joe Buck said. "You realize at the end of the day that this is just stuff."

Josh White, an emergency services manager for a board-up service, was helping to cover the roof this afternoon with a huge, blue tarp. White said it is not easy to cover this kind of damage because there is such a large hole in the house from the fire. White said that its purpose is to keep the elements out, such as rain.

"Covering it up isn't that easy of a job," White said.

kbell@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8115





Joe Buck (center, with back to camera) talks with Ladue Fire Chief Ted Jury (in white shirt) and other investigators.
(Photo by Erik M. Lunsford/Post-Dispatch)