UPDATE: Authorities ID Victim Of Sibley House Fire

Sibley, Iowa — Authorities have now released the name of the victim who perished in a residential fire in Sibley late Sunday night.

Sibley Fire Chief  Ken Huls says 73-year-old Daryl D. Janssen lost his life in the fire that gutted his home shortly after 11:00 Sunday night. Huls says Janssen was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chief Huls says the south lower portion of the home, along with a detached garage, were engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived.

Confusion about whether anyone was in the house caused fire officials to send two firefighters into the burning structure to conduct a search. They were met with zero visibility due to smoke, as well as intense heat. When they encountered weakened floors, it was determined that it was unsafe for them to continue their search, and they were ordered to leave the structure.

Twenty-three firefighters from Sibley and Ashton fought the blaze, according to Huls. He says they were assisted at the scene by the Osceola County Ambulance, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and Sibley Public Works Utilities.

Chief Huls says the Iowa State Fire Marshal was on scene Monday morning in an attempt to isolate the cause of the fire. However, as of Tuesday morning, the Chief says it’s still classified as “undetermined,” but he says it may have been electrical in nature.

The Sibley Fire Department was called back to the scene of the fire Monday afternoon for a flare-up.

 

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Original story posted at 9:52am April 4th, 2022

Sibley, Iowa — A Sibley man lost his life as the result of a fire that gutted a Sibley home late Sunday evening.

Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls says his department was dispatched to a structure fire at 426 10th Street West in Sibley shortly after 11:00 Sunday night. He says firefighters arrived to find a detached garage, as well as the south lower portion of the home engulfed in flames.  According to Chief Huls, Ashton firefighters were immediately dispatched to provide assistance in battling the blaze.

He says there was initial confusion about whether anyone was in the residence at the time, so firefighters made entry in an attempt to search the residence. Huls says the firefighters who entered the house to conduct the search encountered zero visibility due to smoke, intense heat and unsafe floor conditions. It was at that point it was determined that it was unsafe for the firefighters to continue the search, and they were ordered from the house.

According to Chief Huls, it was later discovered that a 73-year-old male subject had been in the house at the time of the blaze. The Chief says the man, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, was pronounced dead at the scene. He says the family dog also perished in the fire.

Firefighters reportedly used about 50,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire, along with about 5 or 6 gallons of foam.

Huls says the home was gutted in the blaze, and is considered a total loss. He says an SUV that was parked in the driveway also sustained heavy damage.

The Chief says the State Fire Marshal was on the scene Monday morning, and the investigation into the cause of the blaze is continuing.

Twenty-three firefighters from the Sibley and Ashton Fire Departments battled the blaze. They were assisted at the scene by the Osceola County Ambulance, Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and Sibley Public Works Utilities.

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