A Spencer woman is in custody, charged with setting a house on fire on Sunday. The woman was renting the house to another woman.
Firefighters were called to a house in Spencer around noon Sunday. Fire Chief Doug Duncan says flames were venting out of the east and south first floor windows. Siding on a neighbor’s house was melting and catching fire. Crews were able to stop that neighboring house from catching fire, and then attacked the main house fire.
The blaze was contained in the living room; the rest of the house had heavy smoke damage, but no one was hurt. The home was rented to Ashley Handy. Spencer firefighters and the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s office think the fire started in the first floor living room of the home.
Investigators have arrested the owner of the home– Brenda Heilstedt — and charged her with first degree arson. That’s a class B felony. Halstedt has been jailed in Clay County on the charges.