A 62-year-old Mason City man has died after a house fire on Wednesday night. Firefighters were called to the southwest side of Mason City at about 11:20 Wednesday night. Home owner Jesse Pierce died after being taken to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa.
Fifty-nine-year-old Cherie McClemons, who also lived in the house, was taken to Mercy-North Iowa and then later transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Fire officials believe the fire started in a recliners in the living room, sparked by a cigarette that fell from an overturned ashtray into the seat cushion and arm of the chair.
Fire officials say the home had smoke detectors but they didn’t have batteries.
(Reporting by Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City)