Mason City fire department describes apartment house fire incident and response

MASON CITY – The Mason City fire department described the structure fire incident and the response that followed in what is sure to be the end of the downtown Kirk Apartments.

On April 24th, at approximately 2:15 p.m. the Mason City Fire Department was dispatched for the report of a structure fire at the Kirk Apartments, 206 N. Federal Ave.

Fire crews arrived to find smoke coming from the building. Firefighters performed search and rescue operations throughout the structure to ensure all residents had successfully escaped.

During search and rescue efforts, firefighters simultaneously performed firefighting operations on multiple floors of the building. During interior operations, fire conditions rapidly worsened as the fire spread throughout the building between floor and ceiling spaces. Fire crews were forced to exit the building and continue fighting the fire from the exterior, as the structural integrity of floors and roofing began to fail. Fire crews continued to battle the blaze in heavy smoke conditions until approximately 9:00 p.m. Fire fighters remained on the scene overnight to extinguish smaller areas of fire, while maintaining a safe perimeter for bystanders due to the potential for building collapse.

A working fire alarm system alerted occupants throughout the 3 story, 44-unit apartment complex, giving enough warning for residents to escape. The building did not have a sprinkler system installed on any of the apartment floors.

Mutual aid was received from Clear Lake Fire Department, Rockwell Fire Department, and Northwood Fire Department for response to the scene, as well providing aid during other emergency responses throughout the evening.

Multiple agencies provided aid and support to the Mason City Fire Department, including Mason City Police Department, City Operations & Maintenance personnel, Alliant Gas & Electric, Consolidated Fuel, A-1 Portables, Lake Towing, Cerro Gordo County Emergency Management Agency, Community Emergency Response Team members, Salvation Army, and Red Cross.
Investigators from the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Division assisted with the fire investigation ongoing at this time. The building is considered a complete loss.

As the structural integrity of this building is uncertain at this time, a safe perimeter has been established, and citizens are reminded that debris may fall in this area unexpectantly. See the included map showing current road closures. Barricades for streets as well as sidewalks are in place, and updates will be given as changes are made.