MASON CITY – A Mason City house was gutted by flames Tuesday, and the Red Cross was at the scene this afternoon helping the resident pick up the pieces.
The fire was at a yellow owner-occupied house located at 504 South Tyler Avenue. The house is owned by Lloyd Luvern Knapp. The fire began sometime after 10 AM for unknown reasons at this time. Firefighters rushed to the house, and police were called to set up barricades on nearby 6th Street SW and Van Buren Avenues. At 12:15 PM Tuesday, firefighters were still at the house securing the property. The fire was out, but the male resident was there being tended to. Neighbors told NIT he was “in shock” from the fire, and someone had helped him out of the house before he could be harmed.
Matt Dodge was at the scene as the insurance agent (correction: he is not the property owner), talking to fire fighters who were hauling burned debris into the back yard. The front of the house and front door appeared to be charred from smoke and flames.
A fire investigation is now underway at the scene.
