Fire Department Responds To Downtown Electrical Fire

(Le Mars) — An electric power surge caused a fire to some downtown businesses Tuesday afternoon.  The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department responded to a fire at 103 Central Avenue SW for what appeared to be an electrical transformer that caught on fire, which also caused fire to the roof of businesses located in the area.  That power surge happened at about 11:38 a.m. causing several businesses and residential homes to have a loss of power.  Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper was at the Le Mars Public Library, which is close to the scene, and witnessed the fire.

Chief Schipper says fortunately, there were no injuries with the construction workers.

According to Schipper,it appears as though the Catton Marketing building, and Langel Accounting were the businesses most affected by the fire.

Schipper says the fire was started from the surge from the power utility line.

The Orange City Fire Department also responded to provide mutual aid and to serve as back-up.

Fire crews were on the scene for a little more than an hour and a half.  MidAmerican crews were able to restore power to the neighborhood, within an hour after the incident.