Early Saturday morning the Marshalltown Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire at 116 N Center Street.  This building is a vacant and boarded up house frequented by squatters.  Once firefighters arrived they found a large fire throughout the house.  The fire spread to the business to the south, The Depot, in their attic.

10 minutes into the incident, the roof collapsed on the residential building. The metal roofing material shielded the fire from water application. Fire fighters were there for nearly 7 hours and at the end both structures were heavily damaged.

The fire is believed to originate on a porch area of the residential structure, but the exact cause of the fire is undetermined. The origin of the fire in the exposed business to the south is direct fire impingement from the house on the business’s North wall.

Zach Tomesch, News Director KFJB