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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Fairfield business Tim’s Heating & Air destroyed by fire
FAIRFIELD – A Fairfield business burned to the ground Saturday morning, resulting in the death of a dog, and destroying an apartment above the business.
Tim’s Heating and Air Inc., located at 1306 S. Main St. and owned by Tim Carey, caught fire that day just before 11:15 a.m. Fairfield Fire Chief Brett Ferrel said that when firefighters arrived at the scene, the building was already engulfed in flames. Libertyville Fire Department was called upon for mutual aid to extinguish the blaze. Ferrel said firefighters were there about three hours before they put out all the hot spots from the burning ruble.
Nobody was inside the building at the time of the fire.
“The fire was so intense, and because of the circumstances with the contents of the building, we were in defensive mode,” Ferrel said. “When we arrived, the fire was already through the roof. We wanted to put as much water on it as we could to protect surrounding properties.”
Ferrel said a house north of the business suffered damage to its siding from the heat of the fire.
A day after the fire, an employee of the business named Dave Weiser started a GoFundMe account to raise money for his co-worker Justin Hinkle, who lived in an apartment above the business. According to the GoFundMe page, Weiser said he believes the fire started in a solar inverter just after Carey and Hinkle left to work at another property, and that they rushed back to the shop when they learned of the fire.
“They were too late to save Justin's beautiful dog, Gus,” Weiser wrote.
Ferrel said he is aware of the information on the GoFundMe page, but that the fire department had not confirmed that the fire started in a solar inverter.
Weiser added that Hinkle had previously lost his truck to an accident, and that he suffered a severe broken ankle in January, causing him to miss eight weeks of work.
“Justin is a gentle giant whom our coworker, Orie, affectionately calls Sasquatch,” Weiser wrote on the page. “I was searching for ways to help him and was prompted to start this Go Fund Me by one of our many customers offering help. Thank you for your kindness.”
As of Monday morning, June 26, the GoFundMe had raised over $3,700 toward its $10,000 goal.
Ferrel said that, because the building was so large and because its tin roof collapsed onto burning material, the fire department summoned Drish Construction to bring an excavator to the scene to tear down walls.
“They helped us get to those hot spots so we could put them out,” Ferrel said. “Our firefighters did a great job, especially in those conditions, because it was pretty warm.”
Agencies that participated in the response to the fire included the Fairfield Fire Department, Libertyville Fire Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfield Police Department, CARE Ambulance and the Jefferson County Communications Center.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
