Overnight house fire in Le Mars
A house fire that occured overnight in Le Mars that caused an estimated $350,000 in damage has been determined to be accidental.
The Le Mars Fire-Rescue Department received a report of a structure fire at 4:09am this morning, located at a home on Greenwood Ave. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy fire coming from the front picture window and out the roof of the single-story ranch structure. The interior crews were met with heavy smoke and fire in the main front living room of the home that had spread to the back of the home and through the attic space. The fire did burn a hole in the front room floor dropping some fire into the basement which was also extinguished. Firefighters then had to ventilate the home with a pressure ventilation fan.
The owner was home at the time of the fire sleeping, and was able to escape and call 911. The home is not able to be occupied at this time due to the damage.
The origin of this fire was determined to be located in the front room of the home, which spread into the attic and back through the kitchen of the home. The most probable cause of the fire was an electrical equipment malfunction with a thin extension cord that was operating two space heaters off of a tri-plex electrical adapter plugged into the extension cord.
The Fire-Rescue Department reminds everyone to be especially careful when using alternate heating sources. Extension cords should be only used on a temporary basis and not in place of permanent wiring.
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Kemps to host 6th annual Giving Cow Foundation Golf Tournament
Kemps will host their 6th annual Giving Cow Foundation Golf Tournament next month at the Willow Creek Golf Course. The annual tournament is held to raise money to give back to families in need in the community.
Proceeds from this year’s event will go towards providing financial assistance for the Le Mars Backpack Program to send children in need home with food, as well as towards the Crittenton Center. Since the start of the Giving Cow Foundation program, Kemps Le Mars has donated over 660,000 units to local food banks throughout the community, along with the Backpack Program.
Registration for the tournament is open now online until Wednesday, June 3rd; a link is available by clicking here. The tournament takes place on Saturday, June 6th, starting at 9am.
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Registration open for 19th annual “Tour de Plymouth”
Pre-registration for the Plymouth County Cyclists’ 19th annual “Tour de Plymouth” is open, with participants eligible to register between now and Saturday, June 6th for a reduced price of $25; registrations on the day of will cost $30, while Plymouth County Cyclists members will save $5 on registration.
Participants will have the option of choosing between four rides: a Short ride of 20 miles, a Medium ride of 50 miles, a Gravel ride, and a Century ride. Registration includes an after-ride meal, ride snacks and drinks, and a prize ticket. All rides will depart from the Wise I Brewing Company at 9am on Sunday, June 7th, with the exception of the Century ride departing at 7am. To register, visit plymouthcountycyclists.org.
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Severe storms spin off tornadoes, hurricane-force winds in northern Iowa
Damage assessment will get underway soon after Sunday night’s severe thunderstorms brought multiple possible tornadoes and straight-line winds gusting over 80 miles an hour. Likely twisters have been reported near as many as a dozen towns in northwest and north-central Iowa, including Armstrong, Pomeroy, Crystal Lake, Moville, Salix, Kingsley, Pierson, Mason City, Graettinger, Moorland, Joice and Wesley. National Weather Service meteorologist Jack Rotter says the agency will dispatch assessment teams, and they’ll fan out across the region to survey the damage.
No injuries have been reported. There are scattered reports of damage across northern Iowa but Rotter says the exact cause remains unknown.
No traffic was being allowed into or out of Kingsley and Pierson to keep the public safe from downed trees and power lines. At the peak last night, MidAmerican Energy says more than 13-thousand Iowa customers lost power. Service was restored throughout yesterday, going from about 48-hundred homes at 7am, to 14-hundred homes as of 11am on Monday.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
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