Cedar Rapids residents displaced after small house fire

CEDAR RAPIDS - Two residents and their dogs are displaced from their home Thursday night following a small house fire.

According to Cedar Rapids Fire Department officials, they responded to a small wall fire at 6000 Sharon Ln. NW at around 5:50 p.m.

Smoke was coming from the front of the house near the front door and bay window, and firefighters were able to extinguish the heat and smoke. They then began removing siding and parts of the wall in order to make sure the fire didn't spread, officials said.

Mary Frank lives at the house with her husband and two small dogs.

She said she was talking on the phone when the doorbell began to ring repeatedly, though no one was at the door. She smelled smoke and searched the house, finding smoke coming from an area of the wall with light switches and the garage door opener.

Frank, whose husband was at work, quickly got out of the house with her two dogs, called 911, and went to a neighbor.

The couple will be displaced tonight, as officials check the house for electrical issues. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and officials are investigating.

"It could have been a lot worse, so I'm grateful it was as little damage as there is," Frank said. "God is good."