MUSCATINE, Iowa (KWQC) – A house fire in Muscatine Sunday afternoon was a fierce battle, but getting there may have been half the battle.
Fire Marshal and Assistant Chief of the Muscatine Fire Department, Mike Hartman says the call came in around 1:45 p.m. on Sunday for a fire at 414 Jackson Street.
Upon arrival crews found flames and smoke coming from the back of the home and for a while building construction, including walls and the metal roof contained the flames
Some people living in Muscatine tell KWQC they witnessed a fire truck having trouble getting to the scene. Just up the street from Kim Erbst and her son, Logan, a fire truck was trying to get to a house fire quickly, but they say it couldn’t because a train was stopped on the tracks, blocking the way.
“If we have to pull over to let a police officer, and fire and ambulances go by, they need to move out-of-the-way too. it’s just common sense and common courtesy,” Kim Erbst said.
Logan Erbst was on his way home from church and said he saw it firsthand.
“It needs to move so these fire people can get to the fire, people could have died because the train didn’t move,” Logan Erbst said.
That fire truck was just one of many others responding to the 400 block of Jackson Street.
Hartman says while that home appears to be a total loss, there weren’t any delays this time.
“However, that’s something that we deal with all the time in Muscatine, just like any other city has to deal with delays based on where their fire stations are, but I haven’t heard that and I haven’t heard that was a factor in any of our fire fighting response,” Hartman said.
It took Muscatine, Fruitland and Wilton fire crews hours to contain the flames and smoke that rolled out of the home, a concerning sight for neighbors.
“I seen his vehicle sitting in front of it and i was hoping he got out,” neighbor, Steve Dahl said.
While the owner of the home is out-of-town, his brother was there watching the home.
“He was in there, taking a nap and woke up and he got out O.K.,” Dahl said.
Neighbors say even though the home is in bad shape, they’re glad everyone is O.K.
“Oh yeah, I’m glad he got out O.K.,” Dahl said. “If he needs help I’ll help him.”
Hartman says a firefighter putting out the fire fell less than 10 feet off a ladder and was transferred to a nearby hospital. Hartman says injuries were minor and the firefighter has since been released.
Meantime, fire crews plan to remain at the home throughout the Sunday night to watch for hot spots.
Hartman says the cause of the fire is still unknown and will continue to be investigated. He says investigators should complete their on scene evaluation Monday.
