CAR RAMS INTO GASOLINE PUMP

An unidentified woman was injured Thursday evening when the car she was driving careened off William Street and ran into a gas pump, which ignited.

A spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Fire Department said the fire started when the vehicle knocked the gas pump off its mounting, which caused an electrical short and set the pump on fire.

The car had extensive damage when it rammed into the station's awning abutment, but there was little fire damage. The fire department spokesman said flames were extinguished "within seconds" once firefighters arrived.

He also said there was no real danger of the fire spreading, because the pumps was equipped with a "shear valve" designed to cut gas to the pump if it's damaged.

"The only fire that was there was from whatever residue was left in the pump and hose," he said.

The woman was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital, according to the Cape Girardeau Police said. Her condition late Thursday night was unknown. Witnesses said there were two or three passengers in the car, but didn't know if they also were injured.