Fatal fire remains under investigation

Authorities are investigating a fire that took the life of a Cape Girardeau man on Big Bend Road.

James Stuart Weber was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire about 5:45 p.m. Monday, Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton reported.

He said the fire was in a detached garage next to a single-family residence in the 1300 block of Big Bend Road, but investigators still are trying to determine when and how it started.

It did not happen on Monday, Clifton said.

"The fire burned itself out. It was a very, very small fire," he said.

Clifton was awaiting autopsy results Tuesday to determine Weber's cause of death.

He said as far as he knew, Weber was the only person in the building at the time.

Clifton's office, the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, the Cape Girardeau Police Department and the Missouri state fire marshal's office all are investigating the fire, according to a news release.

The fire marshal's office was closed Tuesday for the Veterans Day holiday, and a firefighter answering the phone at the Cape Girardeau Fire Department said a report on the fire would not be available until Wednesday.

Police department spokesmen were not immediately available for comment.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

1300 block of Big Bend Road, Cape Girardeau, MO