On Monday, June 15th, 2026, at 12:03 pm, the Palmyra Fire Protection District responded to a reported structure fire at Haymakers in West Quincy, MO . Mutual aid was requested from Quincy Fire Department due to their proximity to the call. The initial arriving crew found heavy smoke coming from the roof of the business on the Alpha/Bravo corner. Primary search did not show any fire inside the business, with most of the concern being directed at the AC unit on the roof. All customers and employees were evacuated from the building. Due to the size of the commercial structure (21,000 sq. ft.), additional mutual aid was requested from three surrounding counties for manpower and tankers. There are no hydrants in this area and water shuttle operations were needed for the entire water supply on scene. Quincy Fire quickly moved forty grill propane tanks from the side of the business and disabled the gasoline and diesel pumps.
The fire quickly spread between the ceiling of the business and the dome roof. Fire breached the roof just minutes after crews arrived on scene. Fire suppression was hindered by a limited water supply, heavy smoke conditions, and wind from the north that pushed the fire from the Alpha side to the Charlie side.
Additional units arrived on scene and engaged in aggressive defensive tactics. Quincy Fire Department set up an aerial ladder at the Alpha/Charlie corner and Tri-Township Fire Protection District aerial ladder on the Delta side. Water shuttle operations were quickly established with multiple drop tanks set up in series. At the height of this operation, there was a tanker arriving on scene every thirty seconds continually for over an hour, supplying two aerial ladder truck master streams, two ground monitors, numerous hand lines, and two deck guns.
Read more: Mutual Aid Makes A DifferenceA local business had a lake that was utilized for drafting and filling, while all other tankers had to cross the Mississippi River to fill at several hydrant locations in Quincy, IL.
Mutual aid departments from up to 35 miles away responded to this incident. Approximately 18 fire departments and 80 firefighters responded to this fire. Conservatively, there were at least 250,000 gallons of water shuttled and pumped in three hours. This is the largest water tender operation that the Palmyra Fire Protection District has undertaken for a single incident. The following departments and organizations helped in this incident. Crews were on scene for hours, monitoring and eliminating hot spots. The Palmyra Fire Protection District would like to thank and recognize the following departments for their help and support in this major structural incident.
A special thank you to Knaphide Manufacturing in West Quincy, MO, for the use of their hydrant system. This was a key aspect of our water tender operation.
Missouri
Palmyra Fire Protection District
Canton R-V Fire Protection District
Marion County R-II Fire Department
LaGrange Volunteer Fire Department
Monroe City Fire Protection District
Monticello R-V Fire Department
Western Lewis County Fire Protection Dist.
Missouri State Emergency Management
Missouri State Highway Patrol
Marion County Sheriff Department
Marion County Ambulance District
Missouri Department of Transportation
Northeast Missouri Emergency Communications Center (NECOMN)
Illinois
Quincy Fire Department
Quincy Fire Department Rehab
Tri-Township Fire Protection District
Ursa Fire Protection District
Camp Point Fire Protection District
Mendon Fire Protection District
Central Adams Fire Protection District
Golden Fire Protection District
Lima Fire Protection District
Loraine Fire Protection District
Payson-Fall Creek Fire Protection District
Libert Fire Protection District
Adams County Rehab
Salvation Army
FFAM
