Fire damages building on Perry Avenue

The top floor of a converted apartment building at 807 Perry Ave. caught fire today shortly before 9 a.m. No one was home and the fire was contained to the top floor, Cape Girardeau Fire officials said.

Cape Girardeau Firefighters received the call at 8:54 a.m. and brought the fire under control in about 10 minutes, said Steve Niswonger, battalion chief with CGFD.

"We had fire showing from two different windows when we arrived," he said.

Two firefighters with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department chop at the roof of an apartment building that caught fire 807 Perry Ave. on Thursday morning as they put out the last of the flames and secure the house. (Aaron Eisenhauer)

The fire started and was contained to an upstairs apartment in the three-apartment building. The flames were concentrated in a corner of the apartment in and around a couch.

"The wall receptical overheated and caused the fire, which burned the cord right off the air conditioner," Niswonger said.

A window unit air conditioner was plugged into an outlet in the wall where the fire started. Niswonger said it was unclear whether the unit was on or not. The shortage could have been caused by old wiring or a loose connection, he said.

Firefighters said the only furniture in the room was the couch and a few end tables.

Two of the apartments were vacant, said the homeowner Patricia Yancey, although she wasn't sure which ones.

Firefighters said one downstairs apartment appeared to be occupied, but no one was home at the time of the fire. The bottom floor of the house suffered minor water damage, but nothing more, Niswonger said.

Niswonger estimated $12,000 of damages to the home.

"They're going to have to replace the roof," he said.

Yancey said her husband was remodeling the two vacant apartments, replacing flooring and "spiffing it up," getting the building ready to show for sale.