City firefighter suffered injury in Monday morning blaze

A pot left unattended on a stove is being blamed for a fire that destroyed a Cairo home Monday morning.
A Cairo firefighter sustained minor injuries battling the blaze, according to officials. The fire at 820 Ninth St. N.W. was reported at approximately 9:25 a.m., Cairo Fire Chief Bill Schafer said.
“Upon arrival on scene, fire had already breached the North wall of the home and was melting the vinyl siding on the house next door,” states Chief Schafer. “Firefighters deployed two, one-and-three-quarter-inch attack lines, one for exposure protection and the other for an interior fire attack.”
After the fire was successfully extinguished, fire personnel conducted an investigation into the cause and determined the fire originated with a pot on the stove. A resident who had been cooking had left the kitchen, Chief Schafer says. He reports the fire resulted in a total loss of the home. Damage to the neighbor’s home was limited to its vinyl siding, the chief says.
By 10:40 a.m., all fire units were cleared to leave the scene. The injured firefighter had a minor burn through his protective gear, but did not require medical treatment.