A large fire ripped through an apartment building at 2809 10th Ave. N. on Tuesday evening.
The fire, reported at 7:37 p.m., severely damaged the building, displacing several residents. The fire was contained to the northeast building of the four-building LaVista Apartments complex.
There were no injuries to occupants or firefighters, according to Fort Dodge Fire Department Chief Steve Hergenreter.
“The fire crews did a great job from stopping that fire,” the chief said. “It could have been a total loss, but the crews were very aggressive and did a very good job getting the fire stopped.”
Hergenreter said the fire was started in a second floor apartment by a child playing with a lighter.
“It spread out onto the balcony and from the balcony up into the third floor apartment above it,” Hergenreter said.
The second floor and third floor apartments have heavy fire damage and there is smoke and heat damage throughout the rest of the building.