COUNTY ROAD APARTMENTS BURN IN FIRE

A five-unit apartment complex was destroyed by fire Thursday afternoon on a county road north of Cape Girardeau.

No one was injured.

Firefighters from two rural fire districts -- the East County and the Fruitland fire districts -- along with the city of Cape Girardeau responded to the fire at 1112 County Road 635, north of the city, shortly after 4 p.m.

With no hydrants in the area, the rural firefighters had to transport water to the scene from a nearby pond in tanker trucks. Despite their efforts, they were unable to extinguish the flames and worked on containing the blaze.

Although the exact cause of the fire had not been determined, neighbors reported hearing a series of explosions shortly after seeing smoke from the building.

Cousins Alexis and Christy McDowell, who live on a side street off the county road, said that they saw smoke coming from the building. At first they thought that someone in the building was barbecuing in or around the basement garage.

They said they then heard an explosion, followed by several smaller explosions.

The source of the explosions was not known, though neighbors reported that one of the men who lived in the apartment complex was a sign painter who kept painting materials in the basement.

Twelve people lived in the five apartments, including Crystal Moses, who lived in an apartment with her husband and their two children, an 8-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. The family had lived there just a little over a year.

The two children were home when the fire started, Moses said.

"I came driving up the road and saw smoke and flames shooting out," she said.