Firefighters respond to house fire Wednesday evening

To The Press

The Charles City Fire Department responded to a homeowner 911 call of a fire in the residence at 200 Kelly Street in Charles City around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Upon arrival, smoke could be seen coming from the eaves of the home, as well as fire seen in a room on the second story of the residence.

There were no occupants of the home inside when firefighters arrived.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within 15 minutes of arrival. The CCFD responded with 18 firefighters, one engine, one aerial, and two command vehicles.

Fire damage was mostly contained to a single room and its contents, where there was major fire and smoke damage, and minimal water damage. Any other damage to the rest of the home was minimal, according to a report by Fire Chief Eric Whipple.

“The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office will assist in continuing the investigation,” Whipple said, noting that firefighters would remain on scene until the fire marshal arrived, expected Thursday morning.

“One firefighter sustained a minor injury and refused treatment at the scene,” Whipple said. “No other injuries were reported at the scene of the fire.”

The home is owned by Michael Vanderslice, according to the Floyd County Assessors GIS website.

The CCFD was assisted by the Floyd County 911 Communications Center, and assisted at the scene by the Charles City Police Department, AMR Ambulance, Floyd County Search and Rescue, Floyd County Emergency Management Agency, and the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Also responding with mutual aid standby was the Colwell Fire Department and Floyd Fire Department.