Hospers Family Homeless After Fire Early Wednesday

Hospers, Iowa — A house was damaged in a fire early on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, in Hospers and the family living there is homeless for now.

According to Hospers Fire Chief Jason Overmole, at about 2:50 a.m., the Hospers Fire Department was called to the report of a house fire at 208 5th Avenue North in Hospers.

The chief says the fire department saw the two-story single-family home with smoke coming from the roof as they approached the scene. He says the attic had been converted to living space, and that’s where most of the fire was. He says they fought it with an interior attack and put some vent holes in the roof to starve the fire of oxygen.

Overmole says no injuries were reported to people, and one cat that no one could find was found OK later.

The fire department was assisted by Granville firefighters and some Sheldon firefighters with Sheldon’s aerial truck. Overmole says it was a fairly labor-intensive process with scooping out all the insulation that was smoldering

He says the cause of the fire is undetermined, but they believe the fire started in an area of HVAC equipment.

Chief Overmole reports that there was major damage, and the house is uninhabitable at this time. He says the occupants are staying with family nearby and the American Red Cross has been called in to assist.

He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about four hours.

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