Fires in Northeast Iowa

MARCH 17, ROGER KING, KOEL-AM (NORTHEAST IOWA FIRES)

FIREFIGHTERS ARE STILL ON THE SCENE OF A MASSIVE BLAZE IN DOWNTOWN MARQUETTE. IT STARTED SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT, AT THE MARQUETTE HARDWARE STORE, THEN SPREAD TO A NEARBY DUPLEX. A NEARBY UNOCCUPIED HOME ALSO SUSTAINED HEAVY DAMAGE.
NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED YET AND A CAUSE NOT YET DETERMINED. THERE WERE ALSO SOME APPARTMENTS OVER THE HARDWARE STORE.
THE BUILDING IS OVER 100 YEARS OLD. THE OWNER, MARY JO PIRC, LIVES ACROSS THE STREET FROM HER BUSINESS; HER NEIGHBORS ALERTED HER OF THE FIRE.

ACCORDING TO SOURCES, FIRE CREWS USED SO MUCH WATER, IT DRAINED MARQUETTE'S WELL; FIREFIGHTERS THEN HAD TO USE WATER FROM THE NEARBY MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO DOUSE THE BLAZE.
INVESTIGATORS WILL BE CALLED IN TO RULE ON THE CAUSE OF THE EARLY MORNING FIRE IN MARQUETTE.

AUTHORITIES ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR THE CAUSE OF A WEEKEND FIRE IN TRIPOLI. AT ABOUT 9:30PM SATURDAY, THE TRIPOLI FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO A FIRE AT AN UNOCCUPIED HOME AT 402 2ND AVE SW. ARRIVING FIREFIGHTERS FOUND THE HOME ENGULFED.
CREWS FROM FREDERIKA, READLYN, AND SUMNER ASSISTED IN DOUSING THE BLAZE. FIREFIGHTERS WERE AT THE SCENE UNTIL ABOUT 1:15PM SUNDAY. NO ONE WAS INJURED, AND THE HOUSE WAS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS.

ALSO ASSISTING AT THE FIRE SCENE WERE THE TRIPOLI AMBULANCE, READLYN EMS, TRIPOLI POLICE, BREMER COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, RANDY SHINSTINE CONSTRUCTION, MARK SMITH CONSTRUCTION, AND NATE MOELLER CONSTRUCTION.
THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE STATE FIRE MARSHALL, TRIPOLI POLICE DEPARTMENT AND TRIPOLI FIRE DEPARTMENT.

AND A RURAL NASHUA MAN ESCAPED HIS BURNING MOBILE HOME SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
FIRE CREWS RESPONDED TO THE BLAZE AT ABOUT 3:30PM SUNDAY, TO A MOBILE HOME ON FIRE JUST OUTSIDE NASHUA. A MAN, THE ONLY OCCUPANT OF THE HOME, WAS ABLE TO GET OUT BY GOING OUT A BEDROOM WINDOW.
THE MAN'S NAME WAS NOT RELEASED; THE HOME SUSTAINED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE. THE CAUSE REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.

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