Hawarden, Iowa — A building was damaged and residents had to be evacuated due to a fire at an assisted living facility on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, in Hawarden.
According to Hawarden Fire Chief Duane Schiefen, at about 3:45 p.m., the Hawarden Fire Department was called to the report of a fire at Oak Hill Assisted Living in Hawarden.
The chief says the fire department saw smoke coming from the washroom. Schiefen tells us they evacuated the facility with the help of ambulances from Hawarden, Ireton, and Alcester and the help of the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office and Sioux County Emergency Management. He says they took the residents initially to the Hawarden Regional Hospital, but from there some of them stayed with family for the night or at the nursing home.
He says they ended up spraying a little water, but the damage was minimal. He tells us the main issue was the smoke damage in the building.
Schiefen says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Ireton Fire Department and Ambulance Squad and the Alcester Ambulance Squad.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be a malfunction in an exhaust vent fan in the attic.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about an hour.
