Northeast Cedar Rapids residents displaced after house fire

UPDATE: A late-morning fire in northeast Cedar Rapids left a house uninhabitable Friday.

Firefighters responded around 11:15 a.m. Friday to 312 36th St. NE and found heavy smoke coming from the roof. A man who was inside the house when the fire began got out safely, authorities said.

Once on scene, one crew went inside to find the fire, while another team used ladders to get on the roof and cut a hole. Other firefighters knocked out upstairs windows to let the heat and smoke escape.

“They had some pretty good heat up there,” Battalion Chief Dave Brown said. “They vented the roof, which probably saved the lid.”

Michael Downing, 44, a guest at the house, told firefighters he was using a computer in the living room of the 1 1/2-story house when he smelled smoke. Downing found smoke when he opened a door leading to the attic, and grabbed two cats before getting out safely, authorities said.

Firefighters found the heaviest fire damage inside a closet in the unfinished attic area. Crews knocked down the flames before the fire breached the floor and ceiling.

The American Red Cross was called to the scene to offer assistance. While little damage was visible from the exterior, authorities said there was significant fire, smoke and heat damage to the attic area and water damage on the main level.

Homeowner Wendy Riegel was not home at the time of the fire, authorities said.

An investigation was under way to determine the cause of the blaze.

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