Southeast Missourian

No one was injured when fire destroyed a home, two vehicles and several outbuildings near Benton on Sunday afternoon. At 1 pm a grass fire erupted at 339 Shady Branch Road, then spread to a nearby home.  NBC Fire Protection District Capt. David Wilhelm says the occupant escaped without injury.
About 50 firefighters in 20 fire trucks from eight departments responded to the blaze. They had to battle the fire in shifts because of the extreme heat. The high temperature in Cape Girardeau was 97 Sunday.
The blaze was ruled an accidental fire. Wilhelm said "We advise everybody not to burn for at least the next 10 days. It's going to be 100 degrees.”