Old electrical systems seem to be the cause of two fires that destroyed seven businesses in Festus.
A fire that began Friday afternoon took 163 firefighters from 19 departments to put out. It destroyed three businesses and heavily damaged others. Two weeks earlier, about a block away, fire took down four businesses before 75 firefighters from 14 departments extinguished it.
Festus Fire Chief Charles Cayce says it appears both fires were accidental. He blames old, faulty electrical systems.