Three southwest Iowa fire departments were called to combat a trailer home fire Monday night in Hancock. Cindy Guyer, a member of the Hancock Volunteer Fire Department, says the fire at 126 north Scott Street was reported at around 5:40-p.m. It didn’t take crews long to respond, since the fire station is located very close by. Guyer described what they saw upon arrival. She said there was smoke coming out of the mobile home’s furnace stack. They could see it at the fire station located right across the street.

Hancock firefighters immediately started hosing down the structure. It wasn’t long before crews from Oakland and Avoca arrived to help them battle the blaze. Guyer said those crews worked on cutting holes in the structure to gain access to burning insulation. Despite their combined efforts, the fire spread quickly. Guyer said that’s because it was an older model trailer, which had been in town since the 1970’s.

While the home was a total loss, there were no injuries reported. Guyer said the family was home, but when the called 9-1-1, they were advised to get out. They lost all of their possessions. The family spent the rest of the night with family members. Firefighters were on the scene for a little over two-hours, but they had to return to the scene very early this (Tuesday) morning. Guyer said they were called out at around 2-a.m. because insulation in the metal home was still smoldering and rekindled.

Donations for the family are being accepted at the Hancock United Methodist Church, AHST School District or at NAPA in Avoca. The family has clothing needs, especially for their school-aged children, and the parents. A cause for the fire has not been determined.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

A collision between three vehicles was reported just before 8-a.m. at 10th and Maple Streets here in Atlantic. According to dispatch reports, a Mercury Mountaineer SUV  rolled over into a small ditch near the intersection. Another vehicle involved in the collision was a Chevy Suburban.

According to reports, a northbound Ford Taurus pulled into the intersection and was hit by the SUV. The car spun around and collided with the Suburban, while the SUV ended up in ditch. The car and Suburban came to rest in the middle of the intersection. No injuries were reported. Additional details are expected later today.