HOUSE ON WILLIAM GUTTED BY FIRE THURSDAY MORNING

The third residential fire in less than a week in Cape Girardeau heavily damaged a one and one-half story wood-frame house at 1001 William early Thursday.

No one was at home at the time and there were no injuries.

Cape Girardeau fire officials said the entire first floor of the house was gutted. There was extensive smoke and heat damage to the second floor, they said.

Authorities said an investigation is under way by the fire and police departments to determine the cause of the fire. Samples were collected by a police evidence technician on Thursday and sent to a laboratory for analysis.

Firefighters said they believe the fire started in the northwest corner living room facing William Street.

The house is owned by P&H Development Corp., of Cape Girardeau. The tenant, Robert Ayers, told firefighters he left for work shortly after 4 a.m.

Capt. Ron Kistner of the fire department said a clerk at Wink's convenience store across the street saw nothing unusual when she arrived shortly before 6 a.m. to open the store. Kistner said when the clerk looked out a few minutes later, at about 5:55 a.m., the entire first floor was involved with flames and smoke coming out of all the first floor windows. The fire was reported by a neighbor.

Kistner said houses on the east and west side of the burning house received minor damage from the flames and heat.

He said there was no electricity to the house since it had been shut off by Union Electric for non-payment of the utility bill.

Rush-hour traffic in the eastbound lane was diverted by police around the fire trucks into the eastbound passing lane and part of the westbound passing lane of the street.

Thursday's fire was the third in a week in the city, but Kistner said none are related.

"They just seem to come in groups," he said. "We may go for a long while without anything, and then catch five or six of them in a row."