Residents report odor; paper mill blamed
A mysterious odor wafting through the county possibly originated out of Wickliffe, Ky., and was not associated with natural gas. Both Cape Girardeau and Jackson fire departments received calls about the odor Wednesday morning. After talking with the gas company, officials determined there was no natural gas leak. What people smelled was not the odor commonly associated with natural gas, Cape Girardeau fire assistant chief Mark Hasheider said.. "People are smelling a different odor and they are just connecting those two dots," he said. The smell possibly traveled up the river from a paper mill in Wickliffe, Ky., according to Hasheider. The recent weather patterns allowed winds to carry the smell north without dissipating it too much, he said.
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Natural gas line catches fire; no injuries reported
A natural gas line fire prompted a small evacuation in Cape Girardeau County, but there were no injuries. East County Fire Protection District personnel responded around 4 p.m. to the intersection of County Road 645 and Windy Hill Lane just north of Cape Girardeau, assistant fire chief Robin Fornkohl said. Residents were legally burning a pile of leaves in a ditch when gas leaking out of a service line to their home caught fire, according to Fornkohl. Investigators believe the heat from the fire may have melted or otherwise damaged the line, exposing the gas, he said. Four homes and about nine residents were evacuated from the area as a precaution until 5:10 p.m. when AmerenUE crews shut off the gas running to the line.
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