Brucemore temporarily cancels mansion tours after minor fire

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Fire Department responded Thursday to a report of a fire at Brucemore, but by the time firefighters arrived the small blaze already had been extinguished by renovation crews, according to a Facebook post.

Firefighters were called to the historic mansion, at 2160 Linden Dr. SE, at 3:40 p.m. and immediately began investigating a fire that appeared to have started near or on the roof, which is being renovated. Roofing crews reported fire near an area where soldering was being performed, according to the post from the fire department.

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“It's unfortunate that a fire occurred but it was handled quickly and on-hand extinguishers may have been the difference between a minor (heart-racing) fire, and the serious loss of a local landmark,” the post states.

Firefighters stayed until 4:40 p.m. to ensure flames did not start back up and to ventilate smoke from the building. No injuries were reported.

Tours of the building were canceled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but performances of Theatre Cedar Rapids’ “A Little Night Music” will continue outside as scheduled, according to a news release from Brucemore.

“We are proud of the swift response by CRFD, our contractors, and staff during this event. We appreciate the support shown by our community and look forward to reopening the mansion to the public soon,” the release states.

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