By Beacon Staff
A vacant, two-story, wood frame house at 243 S. Seventh St. is considered a total loss after a fire spread through the interior Wednesday afternoon (May 4), and the cause of the fire is under investigation by police.
The Burlington Fire Department responded to the report of the fire at 2:03 p.m., with additional firefighters who were in training responding as well.
According to a press release issued by Burlington Fire Marshall Mark Crooks, Burlington police officers arrived at the scene at 2:05 p.m. to find smoke coming from the house. They then discovered flames inside the house.
Firefighters arrived at 2:08 p.m., and discovered the fire had spread into the wall up to the attic. They were able to contain the fire to that area, and had completely extinguished the fire by 4:24 p.m..
Eleven Burlington firefighters responded to the call along with six West Burlington firefighters responding on automatic aid. A box alarm was struck bringing Danville and Mediapolis firefighters closer to assist with other emergency calls. Burlington Police, Superior Ambulance, and Alliant Energy also responded to the scene.
Firefighters cleared the scene at 5:44 p.m. without injury. Due to the combination of water and fire damage, the house is considered a total loss, but is still standing.
Nobody was at the property at the time of the fire. Property information and damage estimates are still being gathered for the vacant home.
The cause of the fire is considered suspicious, and is under investigation by the Burlington Police and Fire Departments. Anyone with information regarding the fire should call Burlington Area Crime Stoppers 319-753-6835.