Car a total loss after suspected electrical fire

The Scott City fire chief said an electrical malfunction is to blame for a car fire that occurred at the intersection of Green and Crites streets in Scott City on Sunday.

Jay Cassout said the driver was traveling to Sikeston from Cape Girardeau when the 2002 Pontiac Bonneville's passenger compartment began to fill with smoke. The driver stopped at a nearby mechanic shop.

"They opened the back door and the flames were already started in the back in the headliner above her head in the back seat," Cassout said. "And it just escalated from there."

No injuries were reported and the Scott City Fire Department had the flames under control within 15 minutes. The car was totaled.

"The battery is located underneath the back seat," Cassout said. "We're thinking it was electrical."