Fires

Stuart James Netolicky, 44, was found dead last Tuesday after crews were called to a fire at 95 Gulf View Court.

A Marengo company whose workshop exploded and caught fire Dec. 8 failed to meet a state deadline of Friday for filing a report about how owners plan to clean up the area, which state regulators called a “clear threat to public health and the environment.”

The Iowa River does not show signs of pollution from the Dec. 8 blast at a Marengo workshop that had large stores of petroleum products, officials said.

Troy Roth, a 21-year veteran of the Iowa City Fire Department, where he most recently served as captain, succeeds Brian Greer, who retired as fire marshal in November after serving 31 years with the agency.

Crews quickly extinguish living room fire, also find three dogs dead

Two weeks after an explosion and fire in a Marengo workshop injured up to 15 people and prompted an evacuation of nearby homes, local officials wonder who is going to pay for the long-term cleanup.

Iowa regulators have slapped an emergency order on a Marengo company after a Dec. 8 explosion, calling the C6-Zero facility a “clear threat to public health and the environment” because of “unknown flammable chemicals and gases” remaining in a damaged building.

A shingle recycler whose Marengo plant exploded last week, injuring up to 15 people -- including himself -- ran into problems with regulators and residents when he tried out his idea in other states.

Firefighters and state officials did not know exactly what the solvent used at the recycler was, not how much of it was stored on site.

For weeks before blasts tore through a Marengo recycler and injured at least five people and caused nearby evacuations Thursday, public safety officials have been trying to get the company to disclose what hazardous chemicals were on site.

Firefighters responded to the scene of a fire in a mixed use commercial building in southwest Cedar Rapids on Thursday afternoon. A spokesman said the building was damaged “extensively, if not catastrophically.”

Fire crews had made multiple attempts to reach her but were unsuccessful due to the intensity of the fire and heat on both floors of the residence, according to a news release.