Orange City, Iowa — A house in Orange City received extensive damage in a fire on Saturday, May 13, 2017.
According to Orange City Fire Chief Denny Vander Wel, about 9:50 PM, the Orange City Fire Department was called to the report of smoke filling the house at the home of Dan Tracy at 505 Zuider Zee Drive Southeast. The chief says the homeowner had just returned home from being out for the day and returned to find the home filled with smoke.
The chief says the fire department saw light smoke as they approached the scene. He says the fire department found a fire had gutted a bedroom on the lower level of the home. He says the fire gutted that room and burnt half of the door from the top, so the fire extended into the family room. He says at that point the fire self-extinguished due to a lack of air. He says they only used minimal water to make sure the fire was out.
Vander Wel says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Alton and Le Mars Fire Departments, the Sioux Center Fire Department Rapid Intervention (firefighter rescue) Team, the Orange City Ambulance Squad, the Orange City Police Department, and the Orange City Utility Department.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to have been a lightweight extension cord that had been overloaded.
Chief Vander Wel reports that there was extensive damage. He estimates the newer home sustained between $150,000 to $175,000 in damage. He says while the damage is not visible from the outside of the home, there is heat and smoke damage throughout the structure. He says he thinks the home would be salvageable but will require a lot of work.
He says crews were on scene for about two hours.
