River Falls firefighters battled blazes at two houses that went up in flames immediately behind Ezekiel Lutheran Church in River Falls early Saturday. River Falls Fire Department was dispatched at 1 a.m. Jan. 26 to a structure fire at 222 E. Walnut St., an older two-story home just across the alley from the entrance to Jacob's Ladder Preschool. According to a news release from RF Fire Chief Scott Nelson, Pierce County Dispatch received multiple calls reporting flames could be seen from several blocks away, and that residents were seen evacuating the building. "Twenty-three RF firefighters responded with a squad, two engines and a ladder truck," the news release states. "Neighboring departments from Hudson, Ellsworth, Roberts and Prescott assisted with a total of 23 more firefighters responding in three engines, a ladder truck and water tender."