Two Perryville, Missouri, police officers were left homeless after a turkey-fryer fire spread from an outside wall to the attic Wednesday in the 2900 block of Route P in Perry County.

Officer Alec Friedrich was heating oil in a turkey fryer about 2 p.m. Wednesday while officer Nathan James, who owns the house, slept after a midnight shift, according to Perryville assistant fire and police chief Bill Jones.

Friedrich left the fryer for a moment. It boiled over, caught fire and ignited vinyl siding on the outside of the house, Jones said. Friedrich and James tried to put out the fire with a garden hose and five-gallon buckets, but the fire spread to the soffit and into the attic, Jones said.

"The attic was completely engulfed," Jones said.

Friedrich, James, one of the two women living with them and two dogs were evacuated from the house without injury, Jones said.

As firefighters pumped water into the attic, water saturated the insulation, causing part of the home's ceiling to collapse, Jones said. It fell on several Perryville firefighters, but Jones said none of the firefighters was injured.

"The firefighters were able to keep the fire damage to a minimum, but the smoke and water damage was severe throughout the structure," Jones said.

James is living with his family in Bollinger County, Jones said. The Perryville Police Department has established a fund for the officers, and people can drop off donations at the station, Jones said.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

2900 block of Route P, Perry County, Mo.