Iowa City investigating cause of fire on State Historical Society building Thursday night

IOWA CITY — A fire on the roof of the State Historical Society building in Iowa City was brought under control early Friday morning before it could do any damage to the interior of the building, which is home to thousands of historical records.

Firefighters were called to the Centennial Building, 402 E. Iowa Ave., at 11:57 p.m. Thursday. Crews arrived within three minutes of being dispatched, and noticed smoke coming from the roof of the building, according to a news release from the department.

On the roof, firefighters found “roofing material” burning. They were able to bring the fire under control by 12:15 a.m. They remained on scene until 1:55 a.m. for “overhaul and cleanup.”

The inside of the building did not sustain any damage.

The release states that one firefighter was injured while responding to the incident, but no other information is provided, including whether the injury required medical attention.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Iowa City Fire Marshal's Office.

The State Historical Society announced last month it intends to close the Centennial Building in Iowa City next year. State officials said the decision is being made to conserve finances and resources.

The building’s contents — thousands of artifacts, including books, photographs, newspapers, genealogy records and more — will be moved to Des Moines upon the building’s closure.