Investigators have not yet determined the cause of a fire that destroyed one of Iola’s oldest homes Thursday.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire at 302 East St. to the upper levels of the structure, but the length of time it took to get it under control meant pumping thousands of gallons of water a minute into the structure.
So extensive was the water damage, Iola Fire Chief Corey Isbell ordered the home, which houses eight apartment units, sealed off because of fears of internal walls collapsing.
“It’s not a safe structure,” he said.
Fire crews remained at the scene for about six hours to ensure the fire had been sufficiently doused.
Isbell suspected crews may be called back over the next few days because unexposed embers may still be smoldering.
There were no injuries.
Kim Folk, who owns the home with her husband, Jesse, told the Register an insurance investigator was slated to arrive this weekend in an attempt to determine the cause.
THE EVENTS of Thursday morning brought forth many acts of kindness, and even heroism, as the community learned about the fire.
Jeremy Shultz and Jack Aiello live across the street in the SEK Recovery House. Shultz noticed smoke emanating from the home shortly before 11 a.m.
“Somebody thought they may have been burning off something, but you could tell by the smoke it was bad.”
Shultz called 911 to report the fire, then raced with Aiello into the home to ensure nobody was trapped inside.
They helped one occupant get out from a ground floor apartment, then raced upstairs, near the source of the fire, to find a couple still inside.
“By the time I got upstairs, I could barely breathe,” Shultz said.
They were able to get the couple out without injury, and likely just in the nick of time.
“It was getting pretty hard to see when we were up there,” he said.
