BLAZE DESTROYS DELIVERY COMPANY

A huge blaze swept through a South Kingshighway commercial area Saturday night, destroying buildings and sending orange flames rising high into the sky.

An unidentified firefighter was injured when a wall apparently collapsed. Parts of South Kingshighway were closed to traffic late Saturday night.

As of 10:30 p.m., a Cape Girardeau delivery company building and the Plaza Tire building warehouse near Kingshighway had been destroyed. The inferno also spread to other parts of the Plaza Tire complex at 2301 William.

The fire destroyed the brick building that housed Lanter Co., a delivery firm at 226 Linda, and gutted several vehicles. The blaze spread to the neighboring Plaza Tire building, sending flames and black smoke shooting out a tire-filled warehouse. Smoke poured out of other parts of the Plaza Tire complex at 2301 William.

The fire was reported at 8:59 p.m. More than 50 firefighters from four fire departments were still on the scene at 10:30 p.m., attempting to keep the inferno from spreading throughout the commercial area just south of William Street.

Cape Girardeau had six fire trucks on the scene, and Scott City, Jackson and the East Cape County fire departments also had equipment on the scene.

Police cordoned off the area around the blaze as a large crowd looked on.