Dog killed in Cape Girardeau house fire

Investigators are trying to determine what caused a fire Friday evening that ate through the first floor and killed a family pet at a home in the 2000 block of Thilenius Street.

Firefighters were called to blaze at about 8 p.m. Upon arrival, they saw flames and smoke pouring out of an exterior opening.

The family was not at the one-and-a-half-story structure near Cape Girardeau Central Middle School at the time, but a dog was killed in the fire, according to assistant fire chief Mark Hasheider.

He said the fire started in the basement, burned through the first floor, and caused considerable fire damage to the home's contents and smoke damage to the remainder of the house.

"At this time, our investigator is on the scene to determine the cause," Hasheider said. "There's nothing suspicious at this time, but that is being determined."