Officials say auto lot fire in Scott Co. 'suspicious'

A fire involving over 30 vehicles in an auto auction yard has been ruled suspicious and is under investigation in Scott County.

According to Scott County Rural Fire Protection District Chief Jeremy Perrien, about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, the department received a call reporting a large fire at Copart located on the East Outer Road in Sikeston.

"Upon arrival, we located multiple vehicles on fire," Perrien said.

The fire started at a vehicle and spread to other vehicles, the fire chief said, adding more than 30 vehicles in a row of about 100 vehicles were impacted by the fire.

Perrien said Scott County Rural Fire requested assistance from Miner, Sikeston and NBC fire districts for water supply and the fire was brought under control.

Crews were on scene until about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. No one was injured in the incident; however, the cause of the fire remained unknown as of early Thursday.

"The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and we encourage anybody that saw any vehicles in the area or anything suspicious to contact the Scott County Sheriff's Office," Perrien said.

The Scott County Sheriff's Office can be reached at (573) 545-3525 or (573) 471-3530.