Iowa City mobile home fire leaves eight without a home

UPDATE: Eight people were displaced after fire destroyed a mobile home along Interstate 80 in Iowa City early Thursday.

Firefighters rushed to 1205 Laura Drive, Unit No. 42, in the Forest View Trailer Court around 3 a.m. when the fire was reported. The home was fully involved with flames when they arrived, officials said.

Juan Segura and his wife Diana lived in the mobile home with their six children, trailer court manager Sandy Cole said, but no one was injured. The Red Cross was called in to assist the family, officials said.

It took about 90 minutes for crews to extinguish the blaze. Frigid temperatures and a water main break near the fire hydrant presented challenges to the firefighters. Eleven firefighters rotated in and out of action to stay warm.

Battalion Chief Dan Smith said the main sprung a leak right after crews hooked up their hoses, but they were still able to access enough water.

“It just makes it nasty out there, with all that water and then the ice,” Smith said.

In addition to the mobile home, the unit next door and a vehicle in front of it were damaged. Fire officials estimated the damage at $30,000.

The Coralville and West Branch fire departments responded to Iowa City to help with other calls while Iowa City firefighters were tied up.

The cause of the fire has not been determined. An investigation is under way.