Wind blamed in Rockwell fire

Officials say high winds whipped up a fire that destroyed a house in north-central Iowa yesterday. A farmhouse and garage near Rockwell caught fire yesterday at about 11 a.m. It started in a detached garage and an ember blew onto the house. Rockwell assistant fire chief Rick Laudner says it appears to have been an electrical fire caused by high winds. He says the wind hobbled firefighters efforts to battle the blaze. No injuries reported. Rockwell, just south of Mason City, had top winds around 55 miles an hour yesterday.