MASON CITY – Saturday afternoon, at approximately 1:15 p.m., the Mason City Fire Department was dispatched to The Meadows apartments, located at 1601 9th Street SE for a fire. It was reported that flames were inside the building.
No one was hurt in the incident and there was no word on how much damage was done to the property.
A woman claiming to be a manager at the scene asked that no media report the incident, and actually went so far as to push and shove NorthIowaToday.com reporters off the property.
“She was telling us not to look at her or look back and kept yelling at us to leave, that it was private property. She was hysterical, going crazy, saying she was going to call the cops. At that point, she grabbed my arm and pushed me,” said Jody Spear, a photojournalist for NorthIowaToday.com.
“A police officer was right there. He tried to tell her that we were on the street, but she told him that they plow their own street, it was private property. He asked us to go, so we did.”
The identity of the woman could not be immediately confirmed. Part of the incident was actually caught on video. Here is a photo of the woman who claimed to be a property manager, reaching for a reporter’s camera:
