The Back Home Country Cookin’ restaurant. (photo courtesy Strawberry Point Police)
A popular northeast Iowa restaurant was destroyed in a fire early Sunday morning.
Strawberry Point Police and Strawberry Point Fire and Rescue were dispatched to Back Home Country Cookin’ around 12:15 am, with temperatures hovering around -11°.
Fire Chief Alan Recker says the building is a total loss. When emergency crews arrived, flames and heavy smoke were already visible outside the restaurant.
Recker says the fire started in the back of the building. Investigators believe the cause of the fire may be associated with the restaurant’s fireplace. No one was injured.
Just one week earlier, hundreds crammed into the small restaurant for a campaign event with Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.
(Reporting by Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester)