UNATTENDED TRASH FIRE SPREADS TO HOME, SHED

Carol Rutherford returned home from work about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to discover that her house at 709 S. Benton had been destroyed by fire.

Rutherford wasn't notified about the fire because no one knew where to contact her; she owns a house-cleaning business.

The fire was a result of a neighbor burning trash in his backyard at 713 S. Benton earlier in the afternoon.

Although the front of Rutherford's house shows no visible signs of damage, the basement and two bedrooms were destroyed, she said. An outdoor shed also was destroyed.

Rutherford wanted to get the house boarded up and will decide what to do later. "I'm trying to get my valuables out," she said. "We've got insurance."

A teen-age neighbor was burned on his back and arms when he went into the house to check if anyone was home. No other injuries were reported. Anthony Rose didn't want to talk about his rescue attempt with a reporter.

The trash fire went unattended and spread to grass. The grass fire then spread to the shed and then to the house, Cape Girardeau police said.

To prevent more uncontrolled fires in both the city and county, the Cape Girardeau County Commission issued a restricted-burn order Wednesday. The order came in response to a fire danger warning of the National Weather Service. Outdoor fires should be limited to fire pits and enclosed containers in the county.

Dry weather conditions prompted the order, said Martha Vandivort, deputy emergency preparedness coordinator for Cape Girardeau County.

"Right now it's really quite dangerous out there," Vandivort said. "The wind is blowing, and it's so terribly dry. During the daytime most of our firemen have regular jobs. They're just volunteers, and it takes them a long time to get to the scene."

The order is "as much to protect the firemen" as to protect property, she said.

About 80 acres burned in the county Tuesday, she said, adding that the weather service issued two advisories earlier. "With the fires that have already happened in the county, and the National Weather Service's continued advisories, the County Commission felt this might be a very wise move," she said.

The cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson also have restricted-burn orders. A no-burn order was last issued for the county Feb. 25. It was lifted four days later when thunderstorms hit the area.

Surrounding counties aren't making similar moves to reduce fire hazards.

Bollinger County has not issued any burning restrictions, but they should, said Gail Abernathy, a dispatcher for the Bollinger County Civil Defense.

Bollinger County firefighters responded to at least one field fire Wednesday.

"I tell our guys when they go out that if they'd start giving tickets when it's a high burn danger, this would quit," she said.

Many of the fires start when farmers burn fields to prepare for spring planting.

"When people call and say they are burning, we tell them they have to have water readily available," she said. But not everyone heeds the warnings, said Abernathy.

Perry and Scott counties have not issued any warnings to restrict burning, officials said.

Both Kansas and Oklahoma are under no-burn orders through the end of the month following wildfires that destroyed more than 600,000 acres.