Fire Destroys Home Of Best Friends
Oskaloosa Fire Department Captain Dave Christenson gives direction at a recent house fire in Oskaloosa.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – A fire destroyed a home at 1012 3rd Avenue West on Friday, December 22nd. At approximately 4 pm, the Oskaloosa Fire Department arrived at the home, which was showing heavy smoke with fire starting to erupt from the north wall of the home, between the first and second floor.
The fire was found in a bedroom and the living room of the home. “This fire had been smoldering for quite some time,” said Christensen.
Christenson said the cause of the fire is due to an accidental electrical short.
“It was a good response from our crew,” said Christenson, who credited the Oskaloosa Police Department, the Mahaska Health Partnership Ambulance, and the Iowa State Patrol.
Christenson said that Mahaska County Emergency Management and Mahaska County CERT members were also on the scene.
Oskaloosa Fire Department Captain Dave Christenson said that there were no injuries as a result of the fire, but the home and contents are thought to be a total loss.
The home was rented by two friends, Shane Blackford and Dane Jones.
Blackford told Oskaloosa News that neither of the friends was at home when the fire broke out. Blackford got a phone call that his home was on fire. “I really didn’t know what to think about that.”
Blackford soon saw a picture on Facebook of his home on fire. “This is what it is. It’s just material things.”
Blackford was grateful that no one was hurt, and was grateful that he and his 2-year-old daughter were not at home when the fire happened. “I’m just glad that she’s [daughter] okay. All this stuff can be replaced, but yeah, what a time.”
All of Blackford’s gifts to his daughter for Christmas were destroyed in the flames.
Oskaloosa News verified that an Oskaloosa Police Officer went out and helped to replace those gifts. The officer asked not to be identified.
The Mahaska County CERT Team was recently designated as a non-profit status, and the house fire was an early opportunity for them to showcase part of their mission beyond assisting emergency personnel during times of need.
Mahaska County CERT Team Captain Jim Walker was able to present Blackford and Jones with $250 at the scene to help them obtain anything they may need as a result of the fire.
Walker said that the group is looking for monetary donations to help them help others in a time of disaster. “We were able to donate to these people who lost everything tonight. People don’t realize that when a fire happens, they have nothing. We were able to donate a little bit of something. It’s not enough, but at least it gives them something… to get some clothes. If they didn’t have a place to stay, we were going to take care of that tonight too.”
Another project the CERT Team is raising money for is a rehab trailer.
The trailer is hauled to a fire scene and gives a place for firefighters and emergency personnel to cool off and get something to drink.
The need for the trailer became apparent after a house fire in Fremont during the summer of 2017, when many firefighters fell ill due to the heat.
There is a GoFundMe page set up to help Shane and Dane recover from the fire. If you would like to donate, you can visit https://www.gofundme.com/vt8ku-house-fire
