MUSCATINE, Iowa — Investigators say they’re not sure what caused the fire that destroyed a historic home in Muscatine, Iowa.
The fire was reported Tuesday, December 1, 2015, at 315 West Third Street. When firefighters arrived that day, smoke was already coming from the basement and the attic.
Previous reports indicate that firefighters stayed outside the home and worked to prevent the fire from spreading to neighboring property. Muscatine Fire Marshal Mike Hartman said that crews had to “utilize defensive tactics in order to safely contain the fire,” in a previous statement.
Flames eventually started showing through the roof and about three hours after firefighters arrived, parts of the home started collapsing. There were no reported injuries.
It was announced on Monday, April 18, 2016 that the cause was undetermined “due to a lack of information and evidence leading to a single cause,” read a statement from the Muscatine Fire Department.
State records showed it is the William and Harry W. Huttig House, built by lumber industrialist William Huttig in the late 1800s; it was petitioned to be listed as a historic site, according to information from the Musser Public Library.
