Cedar Rapids house that caught fire made city’s nuisance list

CEDAR RAPIDS — A house divided into three units, considered unlivable after an Aug. 8 fire, made the Cedar Rapids’ nuisance property list off and on since 2014, coming back into compliance in May under new ownership, records show.

Firefighters were called at 9:43 a.m. Aug. 8 to 385 15th St. SE, according to the Cedar Rapids Fire Department. The fire was located in the basement and extinguished quickly, with the all-clear given at 9:59 a.m. The cause remains under investigation, the fire department said.

No injuries were reported, and no occupants were found during the search of the home. The city has since placarded the home, or deemed it to be unlivable, after the fire.

The house was previously placarded and deemed a nuisance property in 2014, but came into compliance in 2015, according to city records.

Houses that are placarded automatically are deemed nuisance properties. A property also can be considered a nuisance after one instance of a serious crime taking place at that address, or multiple instances of less serious crimes or disturbances, according to city code Chapter 22A.

After a house is declared a nuisance property, the owner receives a notice that, starting 15 days after the notice is served, the owner will be billed for any calls for service made to that house. The property can come back into compliance a year later if there aren’t enough calls for service to warrant deeming it a nuisance during that time.

Multiple calls for service at Unit 2 of the house caused that unit to be deemed a nuisance property in January 2016, March 2016 and July 2016. It came into compliance in August 2017. The calls for service that year included calls for willful injury, consumption or public intoxication in public places and disturbing the peace.

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That unit again was declared a nuisance in January 2020 after multiple calls for disturbing the peace. Unit 1 of the house was deemed a nuisance in September 2020 after multiple calls that year for disturbing the peace, city records show.

Unit 1 came into compliance in September 2021. Unit 2 came into compliance in April 2021, but was deemed a nuisance again in May 2022, after a burglary call at the residence. The property came into compliance again last May.

The owner at the time the calls happened that led to the house being considered a nuisance property was Patrick Brennan Investments Inc., city records show. In December 2022, the house was sold to Iowa Best Properties LLC., according to city property records.

The house now is considered a nuisance property because it was placarded by the city on Aug. 8, the day of the fire.

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