FIRE HEAVILY DAMAGES HOME

A fire that started near a gas furnace heavily damaged a home at 2021 Lacey Monday.

A spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Fire Department said heat from the furnace ignited bags of trash that were placed near the furnace. No one was injured. The owner of the house, Minnie Sanders, was not at home at the time of the fire.

The blaze caused heavy damage in the furnace room, the spokesman said, and heavy smoke and heat damage throughout the rest of the one-story house.

Nine firefighters from two stations responded to the blaze, which was reported by neighbors at 6:24 p.m.