Grass fires close Interstate 55 on Wednesday

Grass fires along Interstate 55 closed portions of the roadway yesterday. The Cape Girardeau Police Department reported that the fires were located between mile markers 96 and 99 and required firefighting personnel to extinguish. Lanes were reopened a few hours after the fires were reported. On Tuesday, the state’s fire marshal encouraged residents to refrain from outdoors burning because of drought conditions in various portions of the state.