The Avenue of the Saints between Charles City and Nashua (Highway 27) is back open after being closed for eight hours by a fire at Hawkeye Mold and Design.
Charles City Fire Chief Sam Deverell says the initial call came in just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday, and firefighters fought the fire until about 11:30 before having to pull back.
“When the scene became unsafe due to several store materials that became involved in the fire, requiring the evacuation of personnel from the immediate scene to a safe location,” he says. Deverell says they also had to get some residents out of the area. “Residents within a half-mile of the fire in the downwind direction were being told to evacuate by the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office,” Deverell says.
Deverell says all residents have been allowed to return home around noon, and the fire continues to “burn itself out.” No one was inside the facility when the fire started. The State Fire Marshal has been called in to determine the cause of the fire.
(By Mark Pitz, KCHA, Charles City)