CHARLES CITY — A Sunday night fire incident at a rural Charles City business – Hawkeye Mold and Design Company – stretched into Monday, and sent nearby residents evacuating and closed roads.
Sunday evening at around 8:40 PM, the Charles City Fire Department (CCFD) was dispatched to a passerby 911 report of heavy smoke coming from a building at 2323 Old Highway Road, owned by Hawkeye Mold and Design Company according to online Floyd County Assessor records.
CCFD personnel arrived to find a large commercial structure with heavy smoke and fire, and firefighters immediately began an external fire attack. Mutual aid was called from several area fire departments and various public safety agencies.
Close to 70 firefighters battled the blaze until around 11:30 PM, when the scene became unsafe due to several stored materials within the structure that became involved in the fire requiring the evacuation of all personnel from the immediate scene to a safe location. At the same time, residents within a half mile of the fire in the downwind direction were being told to evacuate by the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office.
CCFS claimed there is no immediate danger to the public outside of the scene and evacuated area. Several agencies remained on scene to monitor the situation.
Marble Rock Fire reported that the building involved in the fire is a total loss but surrounding buildings were able to be protected and saved.
“They have suffered a huge loss to their business,” Marble Rock Fire explained.
Roads are closed all around the scene, including the Avenue of the Saints (Highway 27) from Nashua to the South Grand Avenue (Exit 218) Monday morning. Motorists were directed to follow the detour utilizing county highways T64 & B60.
The Charles City Fire Department was assisted by Fire Departments from Floyd, Colwell, Rudd, Rockford, Marble Rock, Nora Springs, and Nashua. Also assisting were the Floyd County and Cerro Gordo County Emergency Management Agencies, Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, Charles City Police Department, Floyd County Communications Center, Floyd County Search & Rescue, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Transportation, Cedar Falls State Radio Communications, North Central Regional Emergency Response Commission (HazMat Team), CH Wilson, National Weather Service — La Crosse, Iowa Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, FEMA, and MidAmerican Energy.
(TOP PHOTO via Marble Rock Fire.)