Sheldon, Iowa — Any occupants of a home on East 9th Street in Sheldon will likely not be able to live in their house for a while after a fire on Saturday evening, July 13th.
According to Sheldon Fire Chief Brad Hindt, the call came in shortly before 7:30 p.m. Saturday night. He says they were called to 1816 East 9th Street for a possible fire. The call noted that smoke was seen coming out of the chimney and windows.
When the firefighters arrived, they tell us they did find smoke coming out the chimney and heavy smoke in the living room window. Chief Hindt tells us firefighters forced entry through the garage door, where they found heavy smoke and heat in the garage. Firefighters did a search of the main floor looking for possible residents. He says they were unsure about the whereabouts of the resident. The search found nothing.
He says they also asked for assistance from Sanborn and Hospers firefighters due to the temperature and being short-staffed.
Firefighters entered the basement with heavy smoke and heat and located the fire in a bedroom. The fire was quickly extinguished and then firefighters overhauled the bedroom.
Hindt says the cause appears to have been electrical in nature.
Two family cats and two bunnies were lost in the fire. The house received severe damage to the basement and smoke damage on the main floor, and is most likely uninhabitable until repairs can be made, according to the chief.
He tells us the Sheldon Fire Company was also assisted by the Sheldon Community Ambulance Team, the Sheldon Police Department, O’Brien County Emergency Management, the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office, and Mid-American Energy.
He says the call took them about three and a half hours.
