Who burned down this national park building? Missouri officials want to know

A visitor center at a national park in the Ozarks is “a total loss” after a fire, and investigators in Missouri want to know who caused it.

Park officials with the Ozark National Scenic Riverways say the Round Spring Visitor Contact Station was stolen from, then burned down late in the night Dec. 26. First responders arrived around 11:13 p.m. and found the building on fire.

No one was injured, officials say, but the building that consists of a visitor contact center and ranger offices was destroyed.

Officials ask anyone who was in the area of the contact station between 9 p.m. and midnight Dec. 26 to contact the National Park Service tip line at 888-653-0009. Tips can also be made anonymously at www.nps.gov/ISB.

The entire Round Spring campground, located in Van Buren, is closed as investigators work the scene. Van Buren is about 145 miles southwest of St. Louis.

This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 8:15 AM.