Early fire in Washington Friday

WASHINGTON — Flames and smoke poured from the third story of a building on West Main Street Friday morning as emergency responders from Riverside, Ainsworth, Kalona and Brighton joined Washington firefighters shortly after 7 a.m.

With temperatures around 3 degrees and the sun just rising into view from the square, it was a cold morning, and a complicated fire to fight on the building’s third story.

“You make entry if it’s safe, and just try to get to the seed of the fire,” Washington Fire Chief Brendand DeLong said. “That’s where the aerial trucks come in handy, because you need to get to the top and the sides of the building. We had Washington’s aerial and Riverside’s aerial, and we used them both.”

DeLong said the fire damage was limited to the top floor, but some water and smoke damage permeated to the second level. Combined, he said the forces made for an unstable roof and structural integrity that was “not that great,” although he said the risk of collapse didn’t pose a major threat to those at street level.

From the outside, flames and smoke were only visible from the building’s third story, above the commercial space of a closed hair salon and hobby store. In the same building, but west of the flames, are more apartments and other shops including Laundro-Mutt and Market on Main. Authorities did not report any damage to that area of the building.

DeLong said two people — comprising all of the building’s occupants — were transported from the scene by ambulance to the University of Iowa. A Southeast Iowa Union staff member saw one of those transports, where paramedics discussed a patient’s ankle injury. The nature of the other transport is unknown.

DeLong said the fire department had energy shut off to the building, which in turn cut power to most of the square as crews isolated the fire. A Washington Chamber of Commerce representative said power was restored to the block by 9:30 a.m.

A cause for the fire is not yet known, according to DeLong.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com

Flames visibly protruded from the back of the building as fire crews first arrived. (Photo courtesy of Rick Wagenknecht.)

Flames were visible shortly after dawn in the alley behind a top-floor fire in Washington Friday morning, the second major fire call on the super square in a few short months. (Matt Bryant/The Union)

Firefighters used a Washington ladder truck to tackle the flames from above. (Kalen McCain/The Union)

Firefighters go up the stairs into the building's residential apartments, after equipping the equipment they'd need to breath inside. (Kalen McCain/The Union)

Smoke pours from the top floor of a building on West Main Street in Washington the morning of Feb. 17, 2023. (Kalen McCain/The Union)