On Monday, December 29th, 2025 at approximately 5:41pm Wapello Fire was dispatched to a report of a structure fire at 804 Pleasant St in Wapello, Iowa.
Initial information from the Louisa County Dispatch Center indicated that the garage at this address was on fire. Due to the nature of the call and challenging weather conditions mutual aid was immediately requested from Morning Sun Fire Department. Wapello Community Ambulance was also requested to respond.
Wapello Fire arrived on scene 7 minutes after the initial call. Upon arrival, the garage was fully involved and the fire was quickly spreading to the attached residence. Fire personnel quickly deployed multiple hand lines, set up an elevated master stream, and began fire suppression operations.
Initial information and reports from neighbors indicated that two occupants may have been home at the time of the fire. Since both occupants were not immediately accounted for, fire personnel conducted an interior search for any victims. Thankfully after a quick search no victims were found inside the residence and both occupants were quickly accounted for a short time later.
Due to very challenging weather conditions and heavy interior fuel loads, fire command transitioned to a defensive operation. Downed power lines, several propane tanks and a natural gas line further complicated fire suppression efforts. At 9:00pm, the fire was declared under control and personnel were able to begin overhaul operations; looking for any fire extension and extinguishing remaining hot spots. Shortly after 10:00pm, all fire personnel were cleared from the scene and returned back to base.
The residence, owned by Omar Ford, was insured. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time and not considered suspicious pending an investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office. Damage estimates were not available at the time of this release, but the residence and contents are considered a total loss. There were no injuries reported at the scene and the Red Cross is currently assisting the family.
Assisting Wapello Fire at this incident was Morning Sun Fire, Wapello Community Ambulance, Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, and Alliant Energy.
Press release prepared by:
Josh Michel, Wapello Fire Chief
