(Marne, Iowa) – Firefighters from Marne and Atlantic were dispatched at around 5:34-p.m. Sunday, to a report of smoke coming from a wall inside the Derailed Bar & Grill at 105 Washington Street, in Marne. Management at the establishment safely evacuated patrons when smoke began to fill the air inside the building. Fire Chief Josh Krause said an improperly discarded cigarette apparently caused an upstairs, boarded-up window to begin to get hot and start smoking.

Krause said when a vent fan in the kitchen was turned on, it filled the downstairs restaurant and bar with smoke. Some of the people inside the business used a fire extinguisher to douse the charred boards and any flames evident were put-out before firefighters arrived. Crews conducted an assessment of the building to make sure there were no other hot spots. They then ventilated the bar and grill before returning to quarters.