A vacant house six miles east of Missouri Valley, Iowa, was destroyed in a fire early Saturday.
About 40 firefighters from Missouri Valley, Modale, Crescent, Logan and Magnolia fought the blaze.
Missouri Valley Fire Chief Johnnie Walker said he was paged at 12:35 a.m. Firefighters controlled the blaze in about 90 minutes, then worked on hot spots and completed their work by 4:30 a.m.
“It was a total loss,” he said. “It was fully engulfed when we got there.”
Nobody lived in the rural, single-family house, near which there were no hydrants. Water had to be shuttled in and placed in two portable tanks.
Walker said the assessed value of the house, at 1765 335th St., was $79,254. He said it was his understanding that the residents moved out during the flood last year, although the house ultimately wasn't flooded out. They hadn't moved back in, he said. The owner of the house is Sandra Kyle.
He said the state fire marshal would investigate the cause of the fire. Walker called it suspicious, considering the house was vacant.
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