Cape County house destroyed by fire Friday afternoon

A house at 384 Lakota Lane in Cape Girardeau County was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived Friday afternoon. It took them several hours to extinguish the fire.

Brad Martin, left, and Mark Starnes with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department walk around the perimeter of a home that caught fire Friday in Cape Girardeau County.Glenn Landberg

The house was unoccupied when the fire began. East County firefighters do not know why it started, East County Fire District chief Dwayne Kirchhoff said. Firefighters from Cape Girardeau, Fruitland and Gordonville also responded.

Members of the East County Fire Protection District, Cape Girardeau, Gordonville and Fruitland fire departments battle a blaze that broke out at a Cape Girardeau County home Friday afternoon.Glenn Landberg

Kirchhoff said getting water to the blaze was a struggle because the house was at the top of a hill, on a one-lane road and in a rural area. They used water from a pool, and trucks made frequent trips to a nearby creek to refill tankers.

Brad Martin, left, and Mark Starnes with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department walk around the perimeter of a home that caught fire Friday in Cape Girardeau County.Glenn Landberg

The owner of the house declined to comment or give his name.

Pertinent address:

384 Lakota Lane, Cape Girardeau, Mo.