No one hurt in Cape apartment fire

At 10:49 p.m. Sunday, Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to an fire call in the Cape LaCroix apartment complexes.

The fire began in the bathroom in one of the lower-level apartments at 542 S. Spring Ave.

According to Cape Girardeau Fire Department battalion chief Brad Dillow, no smoke showed from the outside of the building, but firefighters found moderate smoke inside the apartment. Firefighters evacuated three other apartments in the building as a precaution.

While the apartment's renters were not home at the time, a dog was inside the apartment.

"We're doing an investigation on it and ... we believe it was a discarded cigarette in a trashcan, and the fire was actually pretty well put out before our guys got in there," Dillow said.

The fire was believed to have melted a side of the toilet bowl in the bathroom, and the water from the toilet extinguished the majority of the fire, Dillow said. Estimated damage was $5,500.

No one was injured, and the dog was removed safely.

smaue@semissourian.com

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