KITCHEN FIRE SPARKS POLICE INVESTIGATION

A kitchen fire sparked a joint investigation by Cape Girardeau police and fire departments on Wednesday.

About 4:50 p.m. neighbors said they saw smoke coming from the split-level house across the street from old May Greene School.

No one was at home at the time of the fire, which blackened the kitchen interior and part of the living room.

Although the fire was under control within several minutes of firefighters' arrival, battalion chief Fred Vincel decided to call in an evidence technician from the police department.

Vincel declined to say what firefighters had discovered.

"We need to complete our investigation, and the police will have to complete their criminal investigation," he said.

The cause of the fire was undetermined Wednesday.

Investigations would not be complete for a few days, Vincel said.

"It will take a while for them to process photos and evidence," he said.

Gary and Mary Sparks watched as firefighters took photographs inside the house.

The Sparks said that their daughter, Nancy Ann Ing, had lived in the house for about two years.

Gary Sparks said he was not allowed to go into the house because of the criminal investigation.

He leaned against the porch railing and waited for firefighters to complete their work so he could go inside to inspect the damage.

Robert Penny, a neighbor, was working on his car when he heard fire trucks' sirens. The fire caused little commotion in the area, he said.

"If it wasn't for the sirens, I wouldn't have known there was a fire," Penny said.