Cedar Rapids firefighter selected as 1st Iowan to compete in the Mongol Derby

VIDEO: Every year, hundreds of people apply to take part in a historical horse race in Mongolia called the Mongol Derby, and for the first time ever an Iowan is making the cut. The 1,000 kilometer race is based off the same messaging system used by Genghis Khan around the 1200s. Cedar Rapids firefighter Shelby Van Weelden is one of around 40 international riders chosen to participate in what some people say is the longest and toughest horse race in the world. "It was almost that imposter syndrome that you feel where it's like, 'oh my gosh what am I doing here, how did I end up in this position?'" Shelby said. She came across the Mongol Derby on a Facebook post five years ago and after applying in 2022, she was finally chosen for the ride at the start of 2023.
KGAN-TV CBS 2 Cedar Rapids

Firefighters respond to kitchen fire at Iowa City apartment building

Everyone safely evacuated a three-story Iowa City apartment building Thursday morning after a fire started in the kitchen of one of the units. Fire crews were called to an apartment complex at 1958 of Broadway Street at around 8:42 a.m. on Thursday, where they said they saw smoke coming from a third-floor window. The fire was found in the kitchen of one of the units, but officials did not say what caused the fire. Everyone had already safely evacuated the building by the time firefighters arrived. No one was injured. Officials estimated the damage at around $40,000. The fire remains under investigation.
KCRG-TV ABC 9 Cedar Rapids

Ten years later: Cedar Rapids bar, fire department reflect on four-alarm damaging fire

VIDEO: Tuesday marked 10 years since a fire destroyed the original location of Chrome Horse Saloon in the NewBo neighborhood. The building, located across the street from the current Chrome Horse location, now houses Brewhemia and the Olympic South Side Theater. The fire lead to an uncommon four-alarm response, and Cedar Rapids fire officials said that large of a response has only happened a few times in recent history. No one was inside at the time, but there was significant damage to the building. It all happened overnight, starting around 1 a.m. on July 23, 2014. Management and employees of the bar woke up to the news and rushed over to find out what happened. "I got all these text messages the next morning, first one I see says, 'sorry for your loss,' I think, God, who died," Chrome Horse owner Jeremy Jones said.
KGAN-TV CBS 2 Cedar Rapids

Iowa DNR dispatches wildland firefighters across the western United States

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fire Program has dispatched wildland firefighters to help with fire management efforts across the Rocky Mountains, the west coast and the Pacific Northwest. Iowa DNR staff and other Iowa-based firefighters are members of hand crews in Colorado and South Dakota. Other agency staff are assisting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fire engines in Wyoming. One Iowa DNR engine and crew is assigned to southern California. Support specialists and Emergency Medical Technicians from Iowa are supporting efforts in northern California and Oregon. “Iowa has gotten a reprieve from several years of drought conditions with heavy rainfalls the past month, but the western United States has seen just the opposite,” said Ryan Harr, Iowa DNR Fire Program supervisor.
Outdoor News

Fire Destroys Tractor Near Ashton

A tractor was destroyed in a fire on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, near Ashton. According to Ashton Fire Chief Andy Gacke, at about 12:25 p.m., the Ashton Fire Department was called to the report of a tractor fire at 5049 250th Street, about a mile south of Ashton. The chief says the fire department saw the tractor fully engulfed and nearby trees ablaze also as they approached the scene. He says they extinguished the blaze in short order with water. Gacke says no injuries were reported. He says the cause of the fire is undetermined, as the tractor was too far gone. He does say that while people were home at the time of the fire, they believe the fire started while no one was nearby. Chief Gacke reports that the tractor was totaled and some trees were also damaged. He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about 45 minutes.
KIWA-FM 105.3 Sheldon