Veterans Home resident taken to hospital after fire in room

A fire in a room at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau sent the occupant to the hospital Saturday afternoon.

Shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday, the Cape Girardeau Fire Department received a report of a smoke alarm at the Veterans Home, but the call was upgraded when facility staff reported seeing flames coming from under the door of one of the rooms.

One of the occupants’ sheets and pants had caught fire, Cape Girardeau Fire Department battalion chief Mark Starnes said, but the facility’s staff put out the fire with fire extinguishers before firefighters arrived.

The fire was confined to a single room, and damage was limited mostly to residue from the fire extinguishers, although the bed likely will have to be replaced.

A report stated the resident suffered first- and second-degree burns on his left side. He was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center by ambulance.

Pertinent address:

2400 Veterans Memorial Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.