Wednesday morning arson not yet linked to other unsolved Cape Girardeau fires

Investigators have determined that a Wednesday morning fire at a vacant home on South Ellis Street was intentionally set, but have yet to link it to any of the unsolved string of suspicious fires that have plagued Cape Girardeau for the past two years.

Like a handful of the other suspected arsons, the fire occurred on the south side of Cape Girardeau during early morning hours, and involved an unoccupied residence.

"We haven't found anything on the current arson that would link it to the others," said Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

The latest fire was reported just before 4 a.m. Wednesday at a house at 509 S. Ellis St. and caused moderate damage to the structure.

It appeared someone had forced their way into the house, Selzer said.

The blaze aroused suspicions that the fire had been set for several reasons, one of them being that there were no utilities currently supplying the house, said Captain Richard Lyke of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

"What we have to do is rule out any accidental causes," Lyke said.

"In this case, there were no utilities to the house, no storms in the area, that's when we have to start looking at what could have caused it."

When assessing a fire for signs it may have been intentionally set, fire investigators will examine the patterns made when the wood of the structure chars during the blaze, as well as collect samples of debris from different areas of the house, Lyke said.

Lyke declined to discuss whether there appeared to have been multiple places in the house where the fire started, citing it as part of the ongoing investigation.

The fire was thought to have originated toward the front of the house, and investigators found indications an accelerant was used there, Selzer said.

Pertinent address:

509 S. Ellis St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.