(Okoboji)– An apartment fire in Okoboji has left several people temporarily homeless.
Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire Chief Chris Yungbluth tells KUOO news firefighters were called to 1505 Country Club Drive shortly before 3:00 p.m. Monday…(click here for comment.) “While we were enroute we were advised that this was a confirmed fire, multiple 911 calls. And then also when law enforcement got on the scene they were able to advise us that the building was charred with smoke. When our firefighters arrived, because of the nature of the building, it’s an 8-plex apartment building, we immediately went into what we call life safety mode, or lurking, searching for people in the building. They were able to do searches quickly throughout all of the apartments and found out that it was empty, and then they turned their focus to the fire itself, which was in the northeast apartment building, or northeast apartment of the building. When the did get an attack on it we were able to get the fire under control in about 30 minutes. The main damage is to that main level apartment with some damage to the apartment above it and there is some smoke damage throughout the whole building.”
A dollar estimate of damage was put at roughly $500,000.
No human injuries were reported, but Yungbluth says a cat perished in the fire and three others had to be resuscitate by EMS staff using pet oxygen masks.
Yungbluth says the cause of the fire is under investigation…(click here for comment.) “We know that it was in a closet in that main fire apartment and the cause is still under investigation at this time by the Fire Marshall’s Office and the Fire Department.”
Firefighters stood by on the scene well into the night Monday night keeping an eye out for hot spots and assisting residents in retrieving belongings.
Yungbluth says assistance was being made available to those displaced by the fire…(click here for comment.) “We did call the Red Cross to offer assistance through that and fortunately most of them found places with friends and family to stay the night.”
Yungbluth says a person who was in the building at the time discovered smoke and called 911.
The Spirit Lake Fire Department was called for assistance due to the nature of the fire and the building.
The Arnolds Park and Okoboji Police Departments, Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, Lakes Regional Healthcare paramedics and Dickinson County Emergency Management also assisted.
