Alton, Iowa — An apartment was damaged in a fire on Tuesday night, December 21, 2021, in Alton.
According to Alton Fire Chief Quintin Van Es, about 10:00 p.m., the Alton Fire Department was called to the report of an apartment fire at 1013 Third Avenue in Alton.
The chief says they didn’t see much as they approached the scene, but once inside, they found smoke coming from the lower level. They found the fire in a back bedroom. The apartment building was evacuated. He says they went in with an attack line and it just took a quick burst to put it out. He says it helped that when the resident left the room they had pulled the door closed behind them.
Van Es says no injuries were reported.
He says Orange City firefighters always respond to structure fire calls in Alton, so they came. He says they initially called for the Hospers and Granville fire departments too, but turned them around when they knew what they were dealing with.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be a tea candle that had been left burning on a plastic organizer, which started a flag on the wall on fire and spread from there. He says there was pretty significant smoke damage in that room with some minor smoke damage elsewhere in that apartment.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about an hour and a half after the investigation and safety check were completed.
