116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Arson the cause of downtown Keota fire
State Fire Marshal Ray Reynolds has told KCII that arson was the cause of a fire that destroyed five buildings in Keota Dec. 4.
Keota Volunteer Fire Chief Mike Detweiler said the fire apparently broke out in a portion of an old lumberyard that contained rental storage units. The fire then spread to a number of nearby businesses. Detweiler said crews were able to save the Westendorf Costume Emporium store, which was left with just smoke and water damage. But the flames destroyed the Bermel Insurance Agency as well as an adjoining laundromat belonging to the same owner. The All Around Fitness center was destroyed, as was an old meat locker building that was undergoing renovation.
Fire observer Tootie White said it was depressing to watch a losing effort as flames jumped from one structure to another.
‘(The fire) went on around the back and then the exercise building and it caught the building next door,' White said.
No one was inside any of the businesses at the time of the fire and no one was hurt fighting the blaze.
An early morning fire damaged and destroyed several downtown buildings in Keota, Iowa, on Saturday, December 5, 2010. Some of the buildings involved in the blaze were Westendorf Costume Emporium, Bermel Insurance Agency, Bermel Laundromat, All Around Fitness, the old meat locker, and the old lumberyard. Fire crews from North Keokuk County, Washington, Wellman, Sigourney, and Keota fought the fire. (Matt Nelson/The Gazette)
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