Several people were knocked out of their homes after a fire last night in northeast Iowa. Investigators are trying to determine what started a fire that destroyed the Sample Bar and Grill in downtown Guttenberg.

Several apartments above the business were also damaged and the Red Cross reports at least three families are displaced. There were no injuries. Meanwhile, authorities believe a faulty furnace could be to blame for an explosion that destroy a vacant home in southeast Iowa Wednesday.

The police chief in Washington says the blast could be felt miles away and the people who had been renting the home moved out a few weeks ago.


Audio: Radio Iowa’s Pat Curtis reports. :32 MP3