Sibley, Iowa — Some second-floor apartments and a Sibley business were damaged in a fire on Friday, July 26, 2019, in Sibley.
According to Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls, about 4:45 p.m., the Sibley Fire Department was called to the report of a working fire above Sibley Chiropractic in downtown Sibley.
He says a passerby noticed smoke coming from the window of an apartment over Sibley Chiropractic. The passerby went inside to notify the people in the building and called 911. The Sibley Fire Department and two Osceola County Deputies responded. They evacuated the office and the apartments, but no one was home in the apartment believed to be on fire.
Huls says they gained entry and fought the fire with an interior attack team. He says as soon as the door was opened, flames and smoke could be seen. He says they extinguished them with a hose and ventilated the building of smoke.
The chief says he found a 25-foot very thin drop cord connected to an outlet, with the other end connected to a 10,000 BTU air conditioner. The chief says that the cord was not thick enough to handle as much current as that kind of air conditioner draws. He says the cord got hot and melted, and eventually ignited the couch cushions. Flames continued up the wall.
The chief says that apartment was destroyed. An adjacent apartment was damaged by smoke. He says there was also some smoke in the Sibley Chiropractic office, plus there will be some water damage there too. But, the chief says they hope to be open for business on Monday.
Huls says no injuries were reported.
The Ashton Fire Department and Sibley Ambulance Squad were also called and helped on the scene.
Chief Huls says including damage to the building and contents, he’d estimate that there will be between $30,000 and $40,000 in damage, most of it cosmetic.
He says they are fortunate that the fire was found when it was. If it had burned unchecked for another 15 minutes, the outcome may have been very different.
