Cape Girardeau family escapes house fire

A Cape Girardeau woman and her three children were not injured, but their home sustained considerable damage in a fire Saturday.

Denise Smith, 33, and her 6-month-old daughter were inside sleeping when her sister pulled into the driveway shortly after 4 p.m. and saw flames on the porch of her home in the 800 block of South Pacific Street. Her sons, age 15 and age 7, were not home at the time, Smith said.

The fire spread quickly to the attic, said battalion chief Fred Vincel. Firefighters cut a hole in the attic to serve as a vent and worked to put out the flames.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Vincel said. At the scene, he couldn't yet say if the home was a total loss, but described the damage as "extensive."

On Wednesday, firefighters responded to a home about a block away at 720 S. Pacific St. That fire, which caused heavy smoke damage and moderate fire damage was ruled accidental.

Pertinent address: 817 S. Pacific St., Cape Girardeau