Sept. 14--WATERLOO, Iowa -- Three separate house fires in nine hours -- two in Waterloo, one in Evansdale -- resulted in no injuries but each resulted in enough damage to temporarily displace residents from their homes Friday night and early Saturday.
In the most recent conflagration, fire destroyed a garage and damaged the rear of a house at 522 Ricker St. and a neighboring garage at 526 Ricker shortly before 5:30 a.m. today.
The garage, rear of the house and the neighboring garage was fully involved upon firefighters' arrival, Waterloo Fire Battalion Chief Mike Jenn said at the scene.
"It was spreading into the house before we even got here and the same with that (neighboring) garage, it was so close," Jenn said. "The garage was full involved. It was all fire. It was beyond saving."
Susan Washington, who lives at 522 Ricker with her grandson, said she was awakened by her neighbor at 526 Ricker, Brenda Isabell, and they quickly evacuated the house.
"I looked out the window and got out of there" with her grandson, Washington said. While Red Cross was available to assist, Washington said she planned to stay with relatives.
Isabell said she rose early and at first thought rain was hitting the house. She saw bright flickering light through the window, "then, I heard this pop, pop like firecrackers," she said.
"I looked out the bathroom window and said 'Oh my God,' I grabbed my phone put my robe on, I called 911 and I went over and started banging on her door," she said. "When I got out to the corner, the front of her garage was already in a big blaze of fire. I wished it was firecrackers. It didn't take long and it was gone."
Isabell, who said fire damaged her residence 12 years ago, said, "We're safe, so that's all that matters. Houses can be replaced. We can't."
Earlier, Waterloo firefighters responded to another call at 5717 Aster Lane at about 11:30 p.m. Friday. Jenn said at that residence, there was a fire in the basement from an overheated extension cord. That fire was quickly put out.
The two residents there were unhurt, Jenn said, and were displaced overnight, but were expected to be able to return there shortly.
In between the two house fires, Jenn said fire crews also had attended to a car fire about an hour before the call to Ricker Street and responded to a couple of medical calls at the National Cattle Congress.
"It was a busy night," Jenn said.
Evansdale residents displaced
Fire also heavily damaged an Evansdale home Friday night, displacing the couple who lived there, but resulting in no injuries.
The fire started shortly before 8 p.m. in an upstairs half-story bedroom at 454 Grand Blvd., said Kent Smock, Evansdale police and fire chief. He said it is the home of Ron and Melissa Naber, who operate a home bait-and-tackle business there.
Smock said a friend who had been staying with the couple in the upstairs room alerted them to the fire. All three occupants and family pets escaped safely.
The fire resulted in $25,000 damage to the home, including fire damage to the upper room and smoke and water damage throughout the structure. Smock said the Red Cross is assisting the family.
The fire's cause is still under investigation.
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EVANSDALE, Iowa -- Fire in a upstairs room heavily damaged an Evansdale home Friday night, displacing the couple who lived there. No one was injured.
The fire started shortly before 8 p.m. in an upstairs half-story bedroom at 454 Grand Blvd., said Kent Smock, Evansdale police and fire chief. He said it is the home of Ron and Melissa Naber, who operate a home bait-and-tackle business there.
Smock said a friend who had been staying with the couple in the upstairs room alerted them to the fire. All three occupants and family pets escaped safely.
The fire resulted in about $25,000 damage to the home, including fire damage to the upper room and smoke and water damage throughout the structure. Smock said the Red Cross is assisting the family.
The fire's cause is still under investigation.
Copyright 2013 - Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa
