Mason City home suffered major damage from fire and explosion

A fire and explosion severely damaged a home in Mason City Tuesday. The Mason City Fire Department was called to 124 ½ 15th Street NE just after 5 pm. Firefighters say they arrived to see fire and smoke showing from the north and east sides of the house. Everyone in the home got out before fire crews arrived and pets were rescued from inside by firefighters. One pet was taken to the veterinarian by its owner for urgent care. The flames were quickly extinguished but not before doing significant structural damage to the building. The initial damage estimate is $60,000. Fire investigators say the cause of the blaze was an accident and the explosion was a butane fuel refill canister inside the home. All fire crews cleared the scene by 6:35 pm.
KIMT-TV CBS 3 Mason City

Atkins receives approval to replace fire station that was destroyed in 2020 derecho

The City of Atkins will be getting a new fire station after their last one was destroyed in the 2020 derecho. The city announced they received approval from FEMA for the fire station project. The Atkins Fire Station was destroyed on August 10th, 2020 and damage was so significant that emergency vehicles were trapped inside and weren't available for calls. Ever since, fire equipment and office items have been housed at various locations around Atkins. First responders have no training facilities and minimal office space. The city says first responder calls have doubled within the last seven years. A 'Fire Station Design Committee' was created in the summer of 2021 to work on a replacement. They came up with multiple plans, but the current design is an over 15,000 square foot building on the current City Hall/Library site. The cost is estimated to be around $6.6 million for this design.
KGAN-TV CBS 2 Cedar Rapids

Sprinkler system credited for putting out small fire at Waterloo John Deere building

Firefighters credited the sprinkler system for extinguishing a small fire at a John Deere building in Waterloo early Thursday morning. Crews responded to the fire at the building at 6725 Cedar Heights Drive just before 2:30 a.m. Officials said the fire happened in a confined, secure room, but the sprinkler system had already put the fire out by the time firefighters arrived. Crews then worked to ventilate the building and remove water from the sprinkler system. There’s no word on how the fire started or how much damage it caused. No injuries were reported.
KCRG-TV ABC 9 Cedar Rapids

Clinton Fire Department names new chief

The city of Clinton on Tuesday announced the appointment of Clinton Fire Department (CFD) Battalion Chief Mike McQuistion to serve as the new Fire Chief. Chief McQuistion will become the 12th overall Fire Chief during the 134-year history of the Clinton Fire Department. Mayor Maddasion will administer the oath of office to McQuistion at the May 28, 2024 Council meeting. As Fire Chief, McQuistion will oversee 50 full-time firefighters, and five Building and Neighborhood Service (BNS) employees, along with an annual department budget of $6.5 million. Chief McQuistion, born and raised in the Clinton area, began his career with CFD as a firefighter paramedic and has risen through the ranks over the last 25 years, serving in a wide range of areas: Engineer, Lieutenant and currently Battalion Chief, according to a city release Tuesday.
KLJB-TV FOX 18 Davenport

House is a total loss after a fire in Sloan

VIDEO: A house in Woodbury County is a total loss after a fire on Wednesday, May 8. The fire was reported at around 3 p.m. at 423 4th Street in Sloan, which is located in the middle of the town. Firefighters at the scene say crews from Sloan, Hornick, Salix and Woodbury County Emergency Management were brought in to contain the fire. Crews were at the scene for several hours making sure the flames were under control. The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office was also called in for traffic control. The house was destroyed, but no one was inside at the time of the fire. The cause is still under investigation, but the initial investigation suggests the fire started in the kitchen.
KTIV-TV NBC 4 Sioux City

Three pets killed, two people left displaced after a house fire in Robins

Three pets have died and two people are displaced after a house fire that happened on Tuesday night in Robins. Around 11:15 p.m. multiple agencies were called to the 400 block of Beverly Road to a report of a house fire. Officials say the two family members who were inside the home at the time were able to get out safely, unfortunately three of the family pets died in the fire. The fire displaced the family and The Red Cross was called in to help assist them. No injuries were reported, but the house is considered a total loss. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
KWWL-TV NBC 7 Waterloo