The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department is investigating a string of suspicous fires that have occurred since July.

According to a news release from the department, a suspicious barn fire was reported Friday. The owner of the barn reported he went out to his farm and saw a small barn near County Road 462 had been burned to the ground during the night.

The Millersville Fire Department was called to extinguish what was left of the barn. There was no power connected to the barn and nothing of any major value had been inside at the time of the fire.

The sheriff's department is calling the fire arson.

Last week a barn and a house about a mile away on County Road 459 also burned to the ground. The sheriff's department believes those two fires were also started by an arsonist.

In July a shed fire was reported north of Oak Ridge near Route D, and a barn fire was reported on County Road 439 near Route FF near Fruitland.

The sheriff's department is asking anyone with knowledge of suspicious activity that could be related to the fires to call the office at 573-243-3551.