Fire destroys home; no one injured

No one was injured in a house fire that destroyed a Cape Girardeau County home Tuesday night. And thanks to the efforts of a neighbor, the home's dogs were kept from becoming casualties.

Neighbor Doug Friese saw the smoke from the home about 6 p.m. and went to the house at 2816 County Road 645 to investigate. The large, two-story brick house on a hill is on the other side of a creek, only accessible by a wide concrete bridge.

Friese said he heard a dog barking inside the house. With no one apparently inside, he broke a window in the front room to free the animal, which ran to safety. Friese said he believed all five of the animals escaped. While the rescued dog was missing, four others could be seen roaming the property.

Whenever he arrived, Friese said he believed he saw the smoke was originating from the attic.

Firefighters arrived at 5:48 p.m., where they began battling the flames that already were showing through the roof.

Firefighters pull water from Juden Creek to fight a house fire Tuesday evening near County Road 645 in Cape Girardeau County. (Glenn Landberg)

By 7:15 p.m., East County Fire District chief Dwayne Kirchhoff said 42 firefighters were on the scene and still were battling hot spots around fire scene. The roof was destroyed, and the second floor was exposed.

No injuries had been reported. The family was not home at the time of the fire but arrived while firefighters still were working.

Responders from East County Fire Protection District, Fruitland Area Fire Protection District, Gordonville Fire Protection District, Cape Girardeau Fire Department, Millersville Rural Fire Department, Delta Fire Protection District and the Cape County Private Ambulance Service reported to the scene.

With limited access to the home, East County had a truck sitting in the creekbed cycling water through the hoses to the home. Other tankers were on standby.

With temperatures in the 90s, firefighters took off their gear and rehydrated in shifts to keep from succumbing to heat exhaustion.

Although the fire was not considered extinguished at 7:15 p.m., Kirchhoff said he thought the home would be considered a total loss. He did not know the fire's cause but said an investigation is ongoing.

smaue@semissourian.com

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