In a press release from Fire Chief Chuck Stansfield, details on the fire were released.

The Webster City Fire Department responded to a call at 10:46 a.m.Thursday at 735 Boone St. As firefighters arrived, they found smoke and fire coming from the front door, and were informed it was likely someone was in the home.

A search team immediately began searching from the back side of the house. Under intense heat they found the victim and began removing him, Stansfield said. Additional assistance was needed to remove the man from the building due to difficult house conditions.

At the same time, a fire attack team began putting water on the fire. Once the fire was under control, ventilation was started to remove the smoke.

Van Diest Medical Center paramedics were on the scene to provide patient care and transportation to the hospital.

The Webster City Fire Department continued to work on hot spots until all were cleared. Upon investigation of the fire, the origin was located in the main family room, but the cause is undetermined at this time.

The occupant was declared deceased by the Van Diest Medical Center due to smoke inhalation and burns, according to Stansfield. A family cat also died in the fire, as discovered in a secondary search.

State investigators were contacted and found the investigation to be complete, and no further investigation will be conducted at this time.

The house sustained moderate to heavy fire damage in the front family room and smoke damage throughout.

Stansfield thanked the firefighters, Webster City police, Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies and Van Diest Medical Center paramedics for their work.

“They all gave everything they could to save and protect the homeowner and home,” he said.