Fire at home for people with mental disabilities sends worker to hospital

Editor's note: This story has been edited to correct the purpose of the facility.

One person was taken to the hospital for evaluation after a fire occurred on North Frederick Street Tuesday, a fire department official said.

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to a fire at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Frederick Street Manor, a home for people with mental disabilities on North Frederick Street, said Mark Hasheider, assistant fire chief for the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

A staff member at the facility was taken to the hospital for evaluation, he added.

The building houses about 26 residents, 22 of whom were there at the time of the fire, Hasheider said. The residents were evacuated to Maple Crest Manor by staff from both facilities, he said.

The fire started in a second-floor room and caused minimal damage, Hasheider said. It was partly extinguished by a recently installed sprinkler system, with the fire department finishing the job. Department personnel were on the scene for about an hour.

The fire is under investigation, but "does not appear to be suspicious at this time," Hasheider said.

Pertinent address: 429 North Frederick Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.