An explosion at a home in Council Bluffs Thursday evening resulted in one person being sent to the hospital, suffering from severe burns. Witnesses told Omaha television station KETV that a man came running from the house shortly after the fire occurred. Council Bluffs Fire Chief Alan Byers confirmed the victim suffered critical burns to 50-percent of his body, and was transported to the Nebraska Medical Center. The man’s name and a report on his condition are not currently available.

The blaze at 310 South 10th St. was reported at 7:45 p.m.  Byers said both neighbors and police reported hearing a number of explosions coming from the second floor of the home, which is located a short distance west of Bayliss Park.

The blaze was snuffed out in about a half hour. Chief Byers couldn’t say for sure what started the fire, but he indicated there were combustible materials inside the home. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Polk County judge has ordered a Nebraska-based contractor to follow Iowa’s consumer fraud and door-to-door sales laws.  A news release from the office of Iowa Attorney General Thomas Miller says the judge also ordered the company, NationWide Construction Inc. to reimburse a Council Bluffs resident more than $7,000.  The release says the company is owned by Mark Schneidewind and does business in Omaha, Neb., as Midwest Restorations Inc.  Miller’s office has investigated complaints that Schneidewind and his company failed to provide services following payment, provided substandard services and made misrepresentations to customers.  The news release says Schneidewind and NationWide denied the allegations but agreed to comply with the order, which is in the form of a consent decree.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says two Council Bluffs men were arrested this (Thursday) morning, following the theft of an ATM from the Farmer’s Trust and Savings Bank in Earling. 34-year old Robert Edie and 19-year old Patrick Eggerling were taken into custody on felony charges which include: 1st degree theft; 3rd degree burglary; Possession of Stolen Property; and Criminal Mischief in the 2nd degree. Both men were also charged with Possession of Burglary tools, an aggravated misdemeanor. They were being held in the Shelby County Jail.

Officials say deputies were called to the bank at around 4-a.m., after witnesses observed a Chevy Blazer with two male suspects, at the bank. The witnesses saw the men use a log chain to pull an ATM out of the bank and onto the street. They then allegedly loaded the machine into the vehicle and took off.

After a description of the SUV was broadcast to law enforcement agencies, a Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputy observed the vehicle on Highway 30, near Logan. The suspects failed to yield to the deputy, who then engaged in a pursuit. The chase continued to Interstate 680, with the Iowa State Patrol and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputies joining in the pursuit.

The incident concluded with the SUV being wrecked when it crashed into a ditch on Whipperwill Road, near mile marker 18 of I-680. Both suspects ran from the vehicle, but were eventually taken into custody a short distance from where the SUV was abandoned. Deputies recovered the ATM from the rear of the Blazer after the suspects were taken into custody. The SUV was later determined to have been stolen from Wright County.