Sheldon, Iowa — A 20-year-old car was destroyed in a fire on Saturday, August 16, 2025, in Sheldon.
According to Sheldon Fire Chief Brad Hindt, at about 3:15 p.m., the Sheldon Fire Company was called to the report of a car on fire at 321 7th Street in Sheldon.
The chief says the fire department saw the 2005 Dodge passenger car on fire on the yard as they approached the scene. He says they saw a trail of oil behind the car and they suspect transmission failure caused the engine compartment to overheat and start on fire.
Hindt says no injuries were reported.
Chief Hindt reports that the car was totaled in the fire.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about half an hour.
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Then, on Monday night (8/18/25), the Sheldon Fire Company was called out again for a rescue call. The call was to Osceola Hall on the campus of Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon.
Hindt says the call was for 13 people stuck in an elevator.
He tells us when they got there, they determined that the 13 college-age girls probably were trying to see how many people they could fit in the elevator when it shut down and trapped them inside. Hindt says they determined that the elevator car was not between floors. He says they obtained the elevator key and forced the doors open, and all the victims were able to escape. No injuries were reported.
