BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS, Mo. – Months after a massive fire damaged several homes on Druid Drive in Bellefontaine Neighbors, the properties remain vacant and charred.

In March, Kim Perry’s house was one of seven on the street that burned during a four-alarm fire fueled by 60 mile-per-hour winds. The flames spread quickly, with 28 fire vehicles filling the neighborhood. Neighbor Kiara Perry remembers it well.

“I heard Mr. Jack up the street screaming. So, I came outside and that’s when I saw the fire jumping house to house,” she said.

Kim Perry had already moved out before the fire. So when she filed an insurance claim, she decided to tear down the damaged home. Under Missouri law, cities can hold a portion of insurance payouts, up to 25%, in escrow accounts until property issues are resolved.

“I was under the understanding I was supposed to give them the check and then get everything going myself,” Perry said. “But when I talked to the city, she said, ‘No. We’ll take care of it all.’”

Kim Perry showed FOX 2 a check made out to Bellefontaine Neighbors for nearly $25,000, dated in March. She said she delivered it to the city in May. But since then, no work was done on her property. She cannot get ahold of anyone at City Hall.

FOX 2 News reached out to Bellefontaine Neighbors City Attorney Sam Alton on her behalf.

“It was an inspector who is no longer with us who collected the money, but the money is there,” Alton said.

Alton cannot speak to what someone else may have told Perry, but he explained that typically the homeowner handles repairs, and the city releases the escrow funds afterward.

“It’s a security for the city or the county, whatever the case may be, to address the property if it’s not properly addressed,” he said.

He acknowledged that short staffing has slowed communication but said he is willing to help Kim Perry move forward. FOX 2 has put them in touch with each other and will continue to follow any progress.