Fairfield Fire Department puts out house fire on 12th Street

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield Fire Department responded to a structure fire Monday night on North 12th Street.

Fairfield Fire Department Engineer EMT Brad Waugh said the alarm came in at 7:36 p.m. on Jan. 20 that a house was on fire at 905 N. 12th St. He said that, because of the cold weather, firefighters responded to the fire station to don their gear and then head to the residence. Firefighters arrived on scene at 7:44 p.m. and could see flames coming from the southwest corner of the house. Waugh said he learned from other firefighters that this may have been the laundry room or enclosed porch.

Firefighters learned on their way to the scene that there were no people left inside the house. They were able to put out the fire, and then used a thermal imaging camera to check for hotspots. Waugh said this technology is helpful because it’s good for firefighter safety and for the homeowners, since firefighters don’t have to tear down walls to look for hotspots.

“Anything hot will show up as a whiter color, with a temperature on the side,” Waugh said about the thermal imaging camera. “You can detect heat inside a wall or ceiling for a possible hotspot. Instead of tearing everything apart, you can pick and choose where you want to tear apart. It helps with the damage assessment.”

Alliant Energy arrived on the scene and turned off power to the house. Waugh said the American Red Cross was also summoned to assist the family, though the name of the homeowner nor any of the occupants were part of the fire report.

Firefighters returned to the station and were back in service by 10:15 p.m.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com