Investigators are trying to find the cause of a fire at an apartment complex in western Iowa Wednesday evening. The apartment complex in Harlan was destroyed after a fire started in the eastern side of the building around 6:15 p.m.
Harlan Fire Chief Roger Bissen says the fire spread quickly because of the age of the building. “This old of a structure you deal with more of a balloon type construction and you don’t have the fire breaks in between the levels of the building, so it’s very easy for the fire to travel from one floor to the next,” Bissen says.
The building was a total loss but no injuries were reported. The 12 occupants were taken to an area hotel by the American Red Cross and donations are being made to the families.
By Joel McCall, KNOD, Harlan