The fire was reported at 10:12 a.m.

Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter said firefighters were told as they were en route that somebody may have been inside the building.

“We knocked the fire down, did a search and he was not in there, thankfully,” Hergenreter said, adding that another apartment resident was able to get ahold of the man, who was never inside the building.

Once arriving on scene, firefighters encountered heavy smoke coming out of the second-floor doors and windows.

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari
Fort Dodge Firefighter Shea Springer prepares to enter a burning apartment building at 530 S. 12th St. and extinguish the blaze. Nobody was hurt in the incident, though one woman was examined for smoke inhalation. The cause is still under investigation.

“We were able to get a hand line up in there and extinguish the fire,” Hergenreter said. “There’s significant fire damage, heat damage on the second floor, smoke damage to the whole second, third floor.”