Two suspicious fires still under investigation

Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to two structure fires Thursday night within the city. The first occurred at 516 N. Middle St. around 11:30 p.m., said fire chief Rick Ennis.

The blaze started at the back of the house and crept up through the walls to the attic, causing heavy damage to the lower floors and considerable damage to the top floors of the house.

The second fire originated in the rear of the house at 416 N. Frederick St. The house suffered moderate damage.

Both fires are still under investigation and have been deemed suspicious in nature, Ennis said.

The fire marshal and investigators were called in to examine the incidents.

One firefighter was injured during the fire on Middle Street. Jackson, Scott City and East County firefighters responded to assist with the second fire.

The fires come at the tail end of a rash of suspicious blazes on the south side of Cape Girardeau.

On March 16, firefighters responded to their third suspected arson in the neighborhood of Morgan Oak and Good Hope streets.

Since 2005, police and firefighters have investigated seven suspicious fires in a seven-block radius.

Most of the buildings have that caught fire have either been totally unoccupied or were vacant at the time of the blaze.

Some of the fires have been similar in nature, said Cape Girardeau fire marshal Mike Morgan in previous interviews.

In cases involving a cluster of suspicious fires, investigators will search for a common denominator linking the fires together, Morgan said.

Burn patterns are analyzed to determine the use of accelerants and debris left after the fires is tested in a lab for the presence of certain chemicals, Morgan said.

The state fire marshal met with local authorities recently to discuss the string of suspicious fires. Evidence from most of the fires has been submitted to the state's lab for chemical analysis, Morgan said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245