Alton, Iowa — The Alton Fire Department was called out early on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, for a call in Alton.
According to Alton Fire Chief Quintin Van Es, at about 5:35 a.m., firefighters were called to the report of smoke in a building at 1008 Second Avenue in Alton.
When they got there, the chief says the fire department could smell smoke in the air but there was no visible evidence of a fire outside the building. He says when the owner backed his truck into the building, he could tell something wasn’t right. There was smoke or haze in the building, so he called 911. When firefighters arrived, they put on SCBA equipment and went inside with tools and a water cannon. They eventually found a trash can fire that had burned out, due to running out of fuel. He says they could tell that there had been flames, as the ceiling above the can was charred. They made sure there was no fire or hot spots in the ceiling or walls.
Van Es says no injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Orange City Fire Department as per their auto-aid agreement. The Alton Ambulance also responded.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be improper disposal of rags and spontaneous combustion.
Chief Van Es reports that the damage was basically limited to smoke damage that will have to be cleaned up.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for just shy of an hour.
KIWA Staff Photo
