Sibley, Iowa — The Sibley Fire Department responded to two house fire calls over the weekend.
A house was damaged in the first fire, which was reported on Saturday, September 28, 2019, near Sibley.
According to Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls, about 2:20 p.m., the Sibley Fire Department was called to the report of a deck on fire at 4905 Highway 9, which is about three miles west of Sibley and two north.
The chief says the fire department saw large amounts of smoke from three miles away as they approached the scene.
According to Huls, a deck behind the house was fully engulfed when they arrived. While they were en-route, a second call to 911 reported that the fire was now burning the house as well. Huls said the occupants had a smoker on the deck and it must have shorted out or flamed up. Someone living in the house woke up from a nap to hear popping, found the deck on fire, and called 911. He says the deck was totaled, there is significant damage to the house, and even a large piece of wooden playground equipment nearby was damaged in the fire.
Huls says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Little Rock Fire Department.
Chief Huls reports that there was 75 to 100-thousand dollars in damages.
He says the 23 firefighters who responded were on the scene for two and a half hours. They were assisted by deputies from the Osceola and Lyon County Sheriff’s offices, and EMTs from the Osceola County Ambulance from Sibley.
A second house was damaged in a fire on Sunday, September 29, 2019, in Sibley.
According to Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls, about 1:20 p.m., the Sibley Fire Department was called to the report of smoke coming from a house at 624 Ninth Street in Sibley.
The chief says the fire department saw smoke coming from the roof vents as they approached the scene. He says they entered house and found a small dual-wire set of old knob and tube-type wiring between the main and second floor had shorted for some reason. He said the insides of the wall were on fire. After they extinguished the fire, they ventilated the house.
Huls says no injuries were reported.
Chief Huls reports that there was about three to four thousand dollars in damage.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about an hour and were assisted by the City of Sibley Utility personnel, Osceola County Sheriff’s Deputies, and the Osceola County Ambulance squad from Sibley.
