Man dies after being taken from burning house

Cape Girardeau coroner John Clifton said Zeno Blattel, 73, died after being taken from a house fire Monday night at 389 Country Club Drive.

Clifton said the cause of death will not be known until a toxicology report comes back, but there is nothing suspicious.

Cape Girardeau fire chief Rick Ennis said Blattel was found by firefighters in the house, passed out from smoke inhalation.

Blattel was identified as a firefighter's grandfather by Battalion Chief Mike Ramsey.

A Cape Girardeau fire inspector and the Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office have determined the fire was accidental; it started from an electrical problem in the basement.

Ennis said injuries to firefighters, including one who was the first inside the home's door and fell through the floor and into the basement, are minor. One firefighter was treated at the scene, and the other was quickly discharged from a hospital.

Ennis said although falling through the floor at a fire scene is one of the worst imaginable scenarios, the firefighter fell just a few feet onto furniture and was quickly aided in trying to extinguish the fire in the basement.

Two dogs also were rescued from the house.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: 389 Country Club Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo