Cause of fire on Duff Avenue under investigation
By Richard Higgins, Ames Fire Department
and AmesNewsOnline staff
(May 21, 2012 – 10 a.m.) Ames firefighters and police are trying to determine what caused a blaze that destroyed a vacant duplex yesterday.
On Sunday May 20, 2012, Ames firefighters responded to a structure fire located at 821 Duff Ave.. At approximately 3:50 p.m. 911 dispatch received a call from a citizen reporting smoke coming from the apartment building.
Firefighters arrived on scene and found smoke coming from the first and second floors of the building. Firefighters searched the building but did not locate anyone in the structure. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and flames as they searched the building.
No injuries were reported. The building sustained major damage and is considered a total loss. The building was assessed at $125,900.00
City of Ames assessor records online indicate the property was owned by Larry Plocher of Waconia, Minn.
The building was unoccupied and therefore no residents were displaced.
Deputy Chief Shawn Bayouth said the Ames Fire Department and Ames Police Department had been on scene since 7 a.m. trying to determine the cause of the fire.
“They will have a pretty tough time going through the house, because the stability of the structure is very compromised, “ said Bayouth. “We had to pour thousands and thousands of gallons of water in through the roof and any time you have to fight a fire defensively like that, the water also does a lot of damage.”
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