Fire destroys vacant Cedar Rapids home

CEDAR RAPIDS - A home in Cedar Rapids burned to the ground overnight Saturday. Cedar Rapids police say the home at 1202 M Street SW was flood damaged and no one lived there.

Firefighters were first called out to the scene at 10:45 p.m. Saturday. It took them about four hours to put out the flames as ash was raining down throughout the area. Crews didn't leave the scene until about 3 a.m. Sunday.

One witness described the scene.

'Big snowflakes to like fist sized ashes floating around all the way to about a block away from here. And it was thick, too. Just coming down,” said Zach Mieneke.

Mieneke says he could feel the heat coming off the home from his home's open window. Cedar Rapids police are investigating the cause of the fire.