COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed a home near Lake Manawa in western Iowa’s Council Bluffs.  The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports that firefighters were called to the house around 2:25 a.m. Friday.  Heavy smoke and flames had already engulfed the home when fire crews arrived.

Fire Marshal Curtis McKeon says freezing temperatures hindered the effort to fight the fire, as water in hoses began to freeze. Investigators believe the fire started in a bedroom.  McKeon says the home was a total loss, with heavy smoke, fire and water damage. No one was injured in the blaze.