Official: June 13 garage fire intentionally set

CEDAR RAPIDS - A fire that destroyed a garage last month was intentionally set, a Cedar Rapids official said.

Cedar Rapids public safety spokesman Greg Buelow said officials have determined the June 13 fire at 1532 Fourth Ave. SE is a case of arson.

'This is based on evidence collected at the scene and the investigation,” Buelow said.

Firefighters responded to the fire at 10:30 p.m. and found a three-stall garage engulfed in flames. Firefighters put out the fire, but the garage was a total loss.

Buelow said anyone with information on that fire is encouraged to call the Cedar Rapids Fire Department at 319-286-5200.

A fire reported an hour later that displaced a family remains under investigation, as well.

Firefighters responded to 211 15th Street SE at 11:30 p.m. for a report of a structure fire with residents possibly trapped inside. When crews arrived on the scene, the entire rear side of the two-story building was engulfed in flames.

Cedar Rapids resident Michele Hard described how her mother and daughters had to escape the fire. More than a dozen family pets were killed in the blaze.

Buelow said investigators believe there is a 'human element” to the 15th Street fire, which they say started in a pile of garbage behind the apartment.

Investigators are also exploring any possible connections between the two fires, Buelow said.

'It is possible there is a connection between the two fires based on the fact that they occurred in proximity in regards to both time and location,” he said.