Five northwest Iowans are homeless after a fire destroyed their home early on Christmas morning.
The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office reports that shortly after 6 AM, a call came in of a house fire on Elm Street in Hull. The Hull Fire Department, Sioux Center Fire Department, Hull Ambulance and Sioux County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call. A deputy from the sheriff’s office was the first to arrive and he found the house to be engulfed in flames.
The five occupants of the home, 62-year-old Florencia Sandoval — the owner of the home; her daughter — 33-year-old Claudia Carabajal; and Carabajal’s three children 11-year-old Alex, 9-year-old Sergio and 4-year-old Jaime, all got out of the house uninjured.
The fire is believed to have started in the laundry room of the house. The family said they had been sleeping at the time but were awakened by smoke detectors, which helped them get out of the house in time.
The house received major damage and officials say it may be considered a total loss.
(Reporting by Scott Van Aartsen, KIWA, Sheldon)