(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department responded to an alarm from the Le Mars Senior Center this morning located at 110 6th Avenue northeast. The
fire was reported at about 9:20 a.m. Apparently, a ceiling light fixture had caught on fire, then it had quickly spread to the ceiling tiles. Fire Chief Dave Schipper says when firefighters had arrived on the scene, thick black smoke was coming from the Senior Citizens Center.
Schipper says the fire doors did help protect the fire from spreading into the Floyd Valley Apartment complex. However, he says the conference hall sustained enough damage to prevent future activities, at least for the next few weeks
The Le Mars Fire Chief estimates the damage to exceed $10,000 and possibly may go higher.
Schipper says firefighters were able to contain the fire rather quickly. He says they were on the scene for approximately 45 minutes.
