Firefighters in eastern Iowa’s Buchanan County decided a home that caught fire overnight in the town of Rowley was so far gone that is was best to tear the house down. The blaze was reported at about one o’clock this morning. Owner Bill Robinson was not at home when the fire broke out.
Once the fire crew arrived, the roof of the home, which had a number of additions, began collapsing. Rowley Fire Chief Dan Hoveland says, “It was a trailer with add-ons and roof lines added, just nothing we could get to. The roof became unsafe once it started collapsing…so we had to start tearing it down.”
Hoveland believes the cause of the fire was electrical. It is the fourth house fire in the town of Rowley this month and Fire Chief Hoveland is urging all Rowley residents to have their heating units checked. Robinson, the owner of the latest home to burn in Rowley, is living with relatives.