Thick gray smoke billowed out of a Fort Dodge home that caught fire Thursday, claiming the lives of two family pets, according to Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter.
No other injuries were reported in the blaze.
The Fort Dodge Fire Department was dispatched to 325 Second St. N.W. at 2:07 p.m.
When fire crews arrived, heavy smoke encompassed the one-story frame house. Flames were visible in the back half of the home.
Julie Geopfert, the property owner, was not home at the time of the fire.
“I left a little after 7 this morning,” she said.
Geopfert, who is known in the community for her involvement with the Webster County Democrats, said she was called by a neighbor shortly after the fire became visible.
Geopfert was visibly distressed as she watched firefighters work the scene.
Firefighters conducted an interior attack.