401 Maple Street fire

Firefighters in Atlantic were called to the scene of a residential fire this (Tuesday) afternoon. The  call about flames seen through an upstairs window at 401 Maple Street came in just before 4-p.m. Atlantic Assistant Fire Chief Tim Cappel.told KJAN News upon arrival, smoke was observed coming out the eaves of the home, which houses three apartments. Cappel says it appears an unattended candle ignited some drapes, which were next to a bed. The resident of the apartment extinguished the flames by throwing  clothes and water on top of them. The male resident suffered some minor burns to his hands and feet.

Cappel says the incident should serve as a reminder to people why it’s important to have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in the home, especially at this time of year. He advised keeping your candles away from drapes and any flammable materials. It’s also important to never leave an open flame unattended.

This is Fire Safety Week. Cappel reminds you to change the batteries in your smoke detectors, and if you don’t have detectors in your home, to purchase them now.

The Iowa Transportation Commission today (Tuesday), approved a Revitalize Iowa’s Sound Economy (RISE) Local Development grant application submitted by Mills County. Up to $876,510 will be made available to assist in construction of approximately 5,450 feet of 190^th Street north from U.S. 34 to K Avenue located west of Interstate 29. The project is should be completed by September, 2013. 

Officials say the project is necessary to provide access to six lots totaling 402 acres for industrial, transportation logistics and warehousing purposes.

Funding for the grant comes from the county share of the RISE Fund.

Firefighters from Griswold and Elliott spent about three-hours fighting a fire two-miles north of Elliott last night. The call about the blaze at 540^th and Yankton Road came in at around midnight. Griswold Fire Chief Jim Wyman says when they arrived on the scene, a vacant house with an adjacent trailer was fully engulfed in flames.

Mutual aid provided by firefighters from Elliott was dispatched at around 12:08-a.m. Tuesday, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department. Wyman told KJAN News the structures were a complete loss, and there wasn’t much left to do except clean-up the mess left behind and prevent the fire from spreading to three nearby corn fields . He says the cause of the fire remains undetermined, and because the home was unoccupied, the State Fire Marshal will not be called-in to investigate. Wyman says he hopes this isn’t the beginning of a trend.

Wyman said he “Just wonders where the next one is gonna be.” No injuries were reported. According to Wyman,  a calm wind and heavy air prevented the spread of the fire to the fields. Fog was not a problem on the way to the fire, but Wyman says on the way back to the station, it was a problem they had to contend with. Early this (Tuesday) morning, visibilities were down to less than one-quarter of a mile.