FIRE RIPS THROUGH WAREHOUSE; 45 FIREMEN, FIVE ENGINES ANSWER CALL

A fire that broke out in a warehouse at 2143 Independence St., Thursday afternoon extensively damaged the building and its contents. The warehouse, leased by several businesses, is located in the Town Plaza near the Plaza Galleria.

The building was believed to be unoccupied at the time, and no one was injured during the hour required to control the blaze, Cape Girardeau Fire Chief Robert Ridgeway said.

"The building was approximately two-thirds damaged, and there was considerable smoke and water damage," he said.

During the fire, the roof collapsed in the center section of the building, which is about 150 feet long and about 50 feet wide in total.

Ridgeway said the northern section was "pretty well saved," while the section to the south sustained more damage.

He said the building was "heavily loaded with flammables," including wood, plastics, boats, acetylene equipment and sawdust.

The fire was reported at 3:38 p.m. by a patrolling police officer who saw smoke coming from the structure. Firefighters arriving two minutes later attacked the blaze on two fronts, on the west side facing SEMO Heavy Industries, and on the east side, along a strip of businesses where they hoped the blaze wouldn't spread.

A second and third alarm were sounded in rapid succession, and in all 45 firefighters, five engines, a power ladder and special units were employed.

They were hampered in their firefighting attempts by a stiff northwestern breeze, which fanned the flames and sent heavy smoke traveling across a parking lot and over the Plaza Galleria complex.

The building has been owned since 1986 by Spartech Plastics. Controller Greg Nagel said the company had well over $100,000 worth of equipment, including two forklifts, stored inside. Three boats owned by employees also were in winter storage in the building.

SEMO Heavy Industries, which supplies wooden spools for the plastics market, was leasing six of the building's bays. Owner William Evans said employees had left only minutes before the fire was reported.

Nagel said John Ford Construction Co., and Mack McKinnis also leased storage space in the building.

Nagel said Spartech's Cape Girardeau operation should not be hindered by the fire.

Firefighters were still on the scene mopping up at 8 p.m. Thursday. The Scott City Fire Department provided station coverage while the fire was being fought.

Ridgeway said it was too early in the investigation to speculate about the cause of the fire.

Businesses in the strip threatened by the fire were Brothers Lounge, Eurotan, Hairport, Shear Class, Tom Ward Hair Styling and Associated Clinical Services.

Chris Jung, who owns the building housing these businesses, looked on anxiously from the parking lot as firefighters battled the flames from the structure's roof and from an aerial ladder truck.

Jung said there is a narrow corridor that separates the rear of his building from the structure where the fire started, and he stood in the cold rain hoping that the fire would not leap the narrow space. It did not.

While the fire disrupted the businesses and supplanted their employees, the evacuation from the 1-story structure was orderly.

Dee Frohock of Jackson, an employee at Eurotan, was arriving for work, saw the smoke overhead and confronted people exiting the business. Another worker said there were about 12 customers in the tanning salon, and they patiently dressed and left.

Tom Ward, whose hair styling salon was a bit to the north of the flames visible above the roof line, said he and his daughter, Beth, noticed smoke as he left the building to drive her to the western part of the city. However, Ward thought nothing of it, though his daughter urged him to check.

"I guess she'll let me have it about that," Ward said, noting he saw the smoke from blocks away as he returned to his business.

Madge Limbaugh, Barb Henson and salon owner Sue Copeman had six customers in Hairport when, they said, "some young man" leaned through the door, informed them there was a fire and that they should leave the building. They did so.

When Christine Simmons of Shear Class learned of the situation, she telephoned her husband, John, who is a member of the East County Fire Department.

"I told him, `We're on fire,'" she said. "He said, `April Fool.'"