Five-alarm fire razes Cape supply company

The corner of Frederick and Morgan Oak streets looked like a war zone late Tuesday morning. Bricks were spilled out into both streets, and smoke was wafting from the rubble of what once was a building.

A backdraft apparently caused Cape Restaurant Supply, 340 S. Frederick St., to explode around 11:30 p.m. Monday.

What started the five-alarm fire is not yet known, but Cape Girardeau fire marshal Mike Morgan said he doesn't believe it was intentionally set. It will be several weeks before investigators will know what started the blaze in the one-story brick building, where now only the charred remains of chairs, stoves and refrigerators sit among the rubble of bricks.

Two residents apparently saw smoke billowing from the building Monday night and alerted the fire department; one call came from a pay telephone across the street from the burning building.

A neighbor heard one of the calls over his scanner, and called Ted McClellan's home. McClellan, who owns the business and building, wasn't there. A friend who was staying in McClellan's house while he was gone called him. At that time, McClellan was driving through Olive Branch, Ill., on his way back from a vacation. Crossing the Mississippi River, he could see his building afire.

As Engine One drove up past the building on Morgan Oak Street, firefighters could see smoke billowing so much it was hard to tell which building was burning. As the driver parked the fire truck just past Morgan Oak and just as the firefighters were getting off the truck, the building exploded, sending bricks all the way across the street. The single-story building erupted into an intense fire. Flames reached higher than the huge tree just to the east, and flames shot dozens of feet into the air for well over an hour. Power lines that ran in front sizzled like sparklers.

Ricky Maglone, 19, was one of dozens of people standing on the corner near Don's Store 24 watching the fire. He said he saw no flames at first but heard "a big boom. It was muffled." He compared the sound to an explosion in a big fireworks display.

Couldn't go inside

Battalion chief Steve Niswonger, who was in a sport utility vehicle following Engine One, immediately ordered defensive tactics.

"I was not sending anyone into that building," he said.

Morgan said that once a building blows like Cape Restaurant Supply did, it's not safe to mount an interior attack. Firefighters began pumping water from atop ladders to the west and east of the fire.

Cape Girardeau police officer Paul Zajicek, on traffic control duty, was approaching the building on foot when he heard what he called "a huge sucking noise." As the officer turned to run the other way, he saw the roof blow at least three feet upward before crashing down.

Morgan said in all probability a backdraft caused the explosion. A backdraft occurs, he said, when there is a heavy concentration of overheated air. A sudden introduction of even a small amount of oxygen can cause an explosion.

"It's a good thing he ran away; he could have been hurt," Morgan said.

Called in 'Mayday'

Two firefighters were injured. Vicki Moldenhauer was apparently stunned by the blast and helped to the safe zone across the street by Capt. Brian Shaffer. Later on, Matt Mittrucker suffered heat exhaustion. Both were treated at a local hospital and released.

As soon as the first firefighter was injured Niswonger called in "Mayday." Fire departments from Jackson, Scott City, East Cape Girardeau County, Gordonville and McClure, Ill., provided mutual aid at the scene and all off-duty firefighters were soon called in, said battalion chief Bob Kembel. East Cape Girardeau County provided a pumper and a tanker for backup at the fire station and had an engine on the scene.

"We appreciate the assistance of the surrounding departments," said city manager Doug Leslie, who was at the fire with Mayor Jay Knudtson and later visited the injured firefighters at the hospital. "I think they got the blaze out fairly quickly, within a couple of hours."

Firefighters remained on the scene most of Tuesday checking for hot spots and making sure the surrounding area was safe.

Leslie said the fire was one of the biggest he has seen, comparable to the Plaza Tire fire in the early 1990s that destroyed nearly half a city block.

"It's sad to lose a family-owned business like that and the contribution to the economy, even for a temporary period," he said.

The explosion shattered plate glass windows in the building at 533 Morgan Oak St., where Heuer and Sons Implement Co. used to be. The heat and the force of bricks hitting glass also bent the aluminum window supports on the building and shattered an interior window. Shards of glass flew with such force that they penetrated a metal file cabinet. Broken glass lay in a puddle of water in the front of the building after firefighters wet down the roof to keep it from igniting.

John Heuer, son of Eve Feuerhahn, the building's owner, said the business had moved to 861 S. Kingshighway about a month ago. Most of the furniture and fixtures had already been moved. While sweeping up broken glass in and out of the building, Heuer said the business had planned to put the building up for lease but will now have to board up the windows and repair the damage first. He said he was in the process of getting an insurance estimate.

What if ...

Despite the damage, Heuer said, things could have been much worse had the fire occurred during the day.

"People are always driving by and walking up and down the sidewalk," he said.

Leslie agreed. He said he thought about all the "what ifs" that could have happened.

"What if there had been a bunch of firemen inside fighting the blaze and we had the explosion?" he said. "It always gets to you when you start thinking about it, how quickly it could happen. Everybody did their job as well as they could, and we're fortunate no one was seriously injured."

Firefighters also put out a fire in the roof of a vacant house next to the restaurant supply building and wet down the battalion chief's car in the parking lot across the street to keep plastic parts from melting.

Across Frederick Street, the explosion shattered a glass window and door at Brenda's Cafe.

"That's the only damage I had," said owner Brenda Glueck. "It was from the heat."

Witnesses at the scene said that they could feel the heat from the fire a block away.

Tuesday morning and into the afternoon, investigators from the city, the state fire marshal's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms rummaged through the rubble looking for clues. Investigators found a propane tank on a forklift. The forklift was destroyed, said Tracey Glenn, public information officer for the city, but the tank was not damaged. The building was connected to natural gas lines.

Morgan, the city fire marshal, said that the Department of Homeland Security requires that the ATF be called in when a commercial building burns.

"I guess it's part of the times we live in," he said.

Fire hoses still lay on the street and a fire truck was parked near a vacant lot Tuesday afternoon. Cable and electric company workers were busy with repairs. Other workers were cleaning up broken glass or were walking around with clipboards, assessing the damage.

Estimated $1 million loss

McClellan, who had been on the scene all night and into the next day, and several men with him stood by and watched. McClellan bought the 21,000-square-foot building in the mid-1980s. It once housed Riverside Lumber Co. He said seven people work for him at the supply business and estimated his loss at around $1 million.

Monday night he said he wasn't going to rebuild because he couldn't wait that long to get back in business. On Tuesday he said he was not totally out of business. Some of his inventory was stored in a nearby building.

"I'm already selling and delivering equipment this morning," McClellan said.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 121