FIRE SWEEPS HOUSE ON BENTON

A fire swept through a home at 131 S. Benton Tuesday night. No one was injured but the house was severely damaged.

Cape Girardeau firefighters were summoned to the home of Sam Egson at approximately 8:45 p.m., when neighbors called 911 after seeing flames shooting out the windows.

"We had just come back from a concert at the high school," said a resident of the block. "We saw flames coming out of the windows and the roof. I ran inside and called the police."

Five fire trucks, three police squad cars and an ambulance clogged the block. Emergency lights blazed, drawing those that the smoke and flames had failed to attract.

Flames shot several feet into the sky from the roof of the house. Black smoke poured from windows of the two-story home. The fire was quickly brought under control.

When the fire had been extinguished, tell-tale black marks stretched the length of the building. Fire, smoke and water damage all but destroyed the porch area.

Firefighters climbed ladders to reach the second story of the building to extinguish any hot spots that might remain. One firefighter was escorted from the building after being overcome by the thick, toxic smoke. After catching his breath, the firefighter moved toward the fringes of the activity.