Trending
WEBSTER CITY -- Wednesday's downtown Webster City fire was so hot that it cracked the face masks worn by two of the first firefighters to reach the blaze.
And the scene was blinding.
"Visibility was zero from the moment we got in there," Webster City Fire Chief Chuck Stansfield said.
Then firefighters pulled the ceiling and the blaze grew.
How the fire started will likely never be known.
Stansfield said the fire's intensity probably destroyed any clue to its origin.
"At this time the origin of the fire appears to have been in the upstairs and attic space of the building," he said in a media release Thursday morning. "Cause has not been identified and will likely go undetermined due to the severity of the damage. At this time, the fire appears to be unintentional."
The afternoon inferno gutted the former Bettis appliance store at 608 Second St. Next door, to the east, two pets were rescued from the building that houses Sandi's Attic, a retail resale shop. A parrot was rescued from the store early during the fire, Stansfield said. Firefighters were able to go back in later and get its cage. They also rescued a cat living in an upstairs apartment. It was still being cared for by the Webster City Veterinary Clinic Thursday, Stansfield said.
No one was injured. The two apartments on the second floor of the burned structure were apparently unoccupied. Reports of a fireman falling from the building are unfounded.
Ladder trucks from Webster City, Eagle Grove and Fort Dodge converged to keep the blaze from spreading to the historic Webster Theater to the west of the burning building.
Billowing smoke filled the theater almost immediately as the blaze next door raged and there were worries that it would catch fire.
But it didn't.
Neither did the Sandi's Attic building.
Both sustained smoke and water damage, Stansfield said.
Jeff Pingel, president of the board of HERO -- Help Entertain and Restore Organization, the group that restored the theater -- said the building sustained "serious water damage."
He shared photos from inside the theater Thursday. Water warped its dropped ceiling tiles and some of the new seats purchased during its renovation several years ago were covered with water-soaked material that had fallen from above.
An aerial photo showed that its roof is intact.
That is in contrast to the 5,360-square-foot gutted building next door. Built in 1900 with 12-inch brick walls, according to the historic Sanborn Fire Maps, It is now owned by Jason and Chelsea Watts, according to Hamilton County property records.
The fire was first reported by Nick Whitmore at 12:41 p.m. Wednesday. He told Webster City police dispatchers that he saw smoke coming from the "second floor of the building next to Sandi's Attic," according to police call logs.
Webster City Fire was attacking the blaze in minutes.
"Upon arrival, L31 found heavy brown smoke pumping out from the upper windows of the structure," Stansfield said, referring to the radio call sign for the department's ladder truck.
Firefighters entered the burning building.
"As interior crews noted worsening conditions, they were ordered to back out. Shortly after this, the roof of the building partially collapsed. At this point, the fire attack went defensive and all personnel were ordered to stay out of the building."
It was at this point that Webster City Fire called for mutual aid from Stratford, Duncombe, Eagle Grove and Fort Dodge.
The ladder trucks from Eagle Grove and Fort Dodge meant three departments were simultaneously able to attack the fire from above. At the same time, multiple ground hoselines were employed.
The Webster City Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, Hamilton County Emergency Manager, Webster City Street Department,and Van Diest Medical Center EMTs all provided support, he said.
"And the good people of Webster City all assisted in keeping this fire under control," Stansfield said. "Special thanks to all the people and surrounding businesses that provided water to our personnel, food later in the call, and support throughout. This was a team effort and all involved deserve huge thanks. Being able to contain the fire as it was would not have happened without all the help.
"It was a team effort with everybody," Stansfield said.
The fire was officially out at 4:10 p.m.