Fire damages Cape Girardeau car wash

Faulty wiring is being blamed for a fire that damaged the exterior of a Cape Girardeau carwash Monday afternoon in an incident that injured none of the 10 employees who were working inside.

Firefighters responded at 3:55 p.m. to a call to Waterworks at 205 S. Kingshighway, with the caller saying that flames were showing near the southeast corner of the building, said battalion chief Fred Vincel. All four city stations responded, but it took only about 20 seconds to extinguish the blaze that apparently started in a decorative light house that sat atop the building, Vincel said. The light house was knocked from the building and firefighters checked the roof for any additional damage, Vincel said.

Shane Biby, one of the business' owners, said fire officials gave him a damage estimate of $10,000 to $15,000 and that none of the interior was harmed. Those officials also told Biby, he said, that the cause was most likely electrical and that there seemed to be faulty wiring. Vincel would only say that the cause was yet to be determined and that the matter was under investigation.

Biby was in the parking lot when he saw the light house, which is electrical, begin to burn.

"People who were out here started screaming that the building was on fire," Biby said. "I just grabbed a pressure washer to try to keep the fire in check until the fire department could get here."

The carwash, which has been operational under current management for three years, was closed for the remainder of the day, but Biby said he planned to reopen on Tuesday.

"Nobody got hurt and there was no major damage, so we're lucky," Biby said. "Luckily, it was caught in time and the damage was on the outside."

Robert Krerowicz was one of the passers-by who was walking along South Kingshighway near the carwash when he noticed that smoke was beginning to come from the building.

"The next thing I know, it burst into flames," Krerowicz said. "I ran and hollered for them to get from the building."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

205 S. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO