Residential Care Facility Van Destroyed In Fire in Primghar

The Primghar Fire Department has responded to the Pride Group near Primghar twice in as many days. A van was destroyed in a fire there on Monday, January 18, 2021. According to Primghar Fire Chief Gary Lansink, a few minutes before 10:00 a.m., the Primghar Fire Department was called to the report of a car fire at the Pride Group, about a mile east of Primghar. The chief says the fire was in the engine compartment. He tells us the fire department used extinguishers, water and foam to fight the fire. He says they also cut the battery cables to prevent any electric arcs or explosions. Lansink says no injuries were reported. He says the cause of the fire was probably electrical in nature, but the official cause is undetermined. He says a staff member went out to start the vehicle to warm it up for a transfer and soon found it on fire. Chief Lansink reports that the van was totaled in the blaze.
KIWA-FM 105.3

Fire heavily damages Fort Dodge garage

A Fort Dodge garage containing an antique car was heavily damaged by smoke and fire Tuesday morning, according to Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter. The fire was reported at 11:25 a.m. after a passerby saw smoke coming from the garage, which is located at 164 Seventh Ave. N. Kevin Davis is the owner of the property. According to Hergenreter, firefighters saw the smoke when they were two blocks away. “It took two handlines to bring the fire under control,” Hergenreter said. “There was a lot of work of overhaul. It had an attic area with storage the so fire spread to those contents. It was a lot of work to put out all the smoldering contents that were in the building.” About 14 firefighters and EMS staff responded. No one was injured. Hergenreter said the fire was caused by a propane heater that was being used inside the garage to heat it.
Fort Dodge Messenger - Metered Site

Firefighters respond to basement fire on Cedar Rapids’ northwest side

A fire on Friday caused some damage to a home, according to officials. At around 12:10 p.m., the Cedar Rapids Fire Department was sent to a report of smoke seen at a home in the 4000 block of Johnson Avenue NW. Firefighters, with the aid of Cedar Rapids Police, located the fire in the basement of the home. Smoke was encountered in the home, but the origin of the fire was down to only smoldering embers. Firefighters were able to fully extinguish the embers with what officials described as a “small amount” of water. Some residents of the structure were home at the time of the fire but were able to exit to safety without injury. Firefighters said that the home’s smoke alarms were not functional. Area Ambulance Service assisted in the emergency response. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
KCRG-TV ABC 9 Cedar Rapids

Hot Fireplace Embers Cause Fire in Garbage Truck in Sheldon

A fire in the back of a garbage truck Monday morning illustrates the importance of not putting hot materials out for trash pick-up. Monday morning, while running their Sheldon route, a Sheldon garbage hauler watched the monitor connected to the camera on the back of a truck as the mechanical arm emptied the receptacle, it looked like a puff of snow came from the can. After two more stops, the truck’s camera showed smoke coming from inside the compactor body. After rushing back to the garbage hauler’s shop, they discovered flames inside the back of the garbage truck. With a garden hose and fire extinguisher the flames were knocked down, then the truck’s load was dumped out onto the ground where employees could spread them out and make sure that all the embers had been extinguished.
KIWA-FM 105.3

Washington Firefighters Host Successful Drive-Through Pancake Day

Switching from a sit down to drive-through event didn’t stop Washington residents from coming out to get their fill of breakfast food at the Washington Fire Department’s annual pancake day last week. This was the second year for the pancake day being held at the new fire station, though the pancakes, sausages, and eggs were served in to-go boxes to those driving by on East Jefferson Street. Traffic occasionally had to be divided into two lanes that were coned off on the street for the lunch and supper shifts, and Fire Chief Brendan DeLong says about 40-45 volunteers were on hand making the event run as smoothly as possible, “It takes a few more, all of our firemen are here, we have some of their wives come and help us too, so it takes a few more to run a takeout than it does just a normal sit down.”
KCII AM-1380 & FM-106.1

Kalona Fire Chief Asks Residents To Remove Snow Around Fire Hydrants

With additional snowfall in the Washington area this week and more snow in the forecast this weekend, fire hydrants can become buried by snow which could hamper firefighting efforts. Kalona Fire Chief Jerry Zahradnek says residents and homeowners who live near fire hydrants can help fire departments by clearing snow and ice from around the hydrants, “It’s nice if everybody can do what they can to keep them clear so we can find them. If we’ve got a foot all the way around it, as long as it’s not down in a hole, we can usually get hooked to them pretty easy. It’s more about locating them and finding them. We’re going to be able to get hooked to them.” In addition to clearing snow and ice around the fire hydrants, residents should also clear a path from the hydrant out to the street.
KCII AM-1380 & FM-106.1