Sioux Center, Iowa — Hot spent fireworks get the blame for a fire on Sunday, July 6, 2025, near Sioux Center.
According to Sioux Center Fire Chief David Van Holland, at about 1:30 a.m., the Sioux Center Fire Department was called to the report of a garage fire at 3247 430th Street, two miles south and a half a mile east of the southeast corner of Sioux Center.
Upon arrival, firefighters observed a side-by-side ATV engulfed in flames within the garage and successfully put out the fire.
Van Holland says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Ireton Fire Department as per their auto-aid agreement.
He says someone apparently disposed of spent fireworks in a receptacle that was then put inside the garage, and that’s what started the fire.
Chief Van Holland estimates the fire caused $50,000 to $60,000 in damages. This includes smoke damage to two vehicles and the house, a damaged garage door, and other related issues.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about two hours.
On Thursday evening, June 3rd, the Sioux Center firefighters responded to another fire call. This one was an electrical fire in a crawl space at 1386 9th St Southeast in Sioux Center. The page went out about 6:00 p.m.
The chief says they saw smoke on approach to the fire. He says they had to rip out a bunch of insulation under the home. Van Holland says they think the fire might have been caused by a short in an electric heat tape.
He tells us the fire caused moderate damage in the five-to-ten-thousand-dollar range. The Ireton and Orange City firefighters provided mutual aid. He says they were on that scene for about an hour.
