Oskaloosa Fire Battles Easter Sunday Blaze

Oskaloosa fire fighters battled a blaze on Easter Sunday. No one was at home at the time of the fire.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – An Oskaloosa family is homeless after fire destroyed a large portion of their home at 1201 3rd Avenue West.

The call for help went out just after 12:15pm on Easter Sunday afternoon.

Ron Roland and his wife currently occupied the home, and when neighbors heard what sounded like an explosion, they became concerned the couple was inside the home.

With a dark column of smoke rising from the home, neighbors tried to enter the home to check, and they began to beat on the windows to sound the alarm.

The couple ended up not being at home when the fire started. Investigators say it appears to have started on the back porch of the residence.

Oskaloosa Fire Captain, Dave Christensen, said that firefighters were able to quickly knock down the flames upon arrival. “Once the assisting crews arrived, we were really able to get in there and mop it up.”

The family has a pet dog and three cats. The dog was able to escape, but the fate of the three cats is unknown at this time.

Oskaloosa Fire Captain, Dave Christensen, said there is no determined cause for the fire at this time, but they won’t rule out something electrical in nature.

Twelve firefighters worked the scene, along with officers from the Oskaloosa Police Department and the Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office. Mahaska County Emergency Management and Mahaska County CERT were all assisted by Mahaska County 911 Dispatch Center.

Mahaska County Emergency Manager, Jamey Robinson, said that the family was going to be placed in a hotel for the evening, with those funds coming from the Mahaska County Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT.

The organization recently gained its non-profit status and hopes to help other families in need when the funds are available.

You can learn more about CERT Here – https://www.mahaskaready.com/cert.html