The City of Ottumwa says firefighters battled a house fire and other challenges over the weekend.
The Ottumwa Fire Department was notified at 12:30 AM on Sunday of a residence fire at 641 East Fourth Street. Fire crews were unable to initially respond to the emergency due to construction equipment blocking access to the home. By the time personnel arrived at the scene, the house was fully engulfed in flames.
Firefighters were instructed to protect the adjacent homes. One home was vacant and an individual was removed from the other home.
One home suffered minor heat damage and multiple broken windows. Additionally, live power lines broke free from the house on fire. The two occupants of the home were elsewhere at the time of the fire. However, two pets died in the blaze.
The city says officers from the Ottumwa Police Department assisted with hose lines during the early stages of the fire.
A firefighter was taken to the hospital with an injured leg due to a fall and was later released.
The fire remains under investigation.
