(Pella, IA) -- The city of Pella is cleaning up wreckage after a fire destroyed a building housing a law firm early Saturday morning.
When the A.G. Law building caught fire, snow served as an obstacle for firefighters trying to get to the building. Firefighters arrived at the building around 2:45 a.m., according to KNIA. At that time, parts of Pella had received at least 9 inches of snow.
“With the difficulties of arriving on such a snowy night, that throws another element into it that we don’t normally have to deal with. The City of Pella Public Works was just starting their snow removal," says Pella Fire Chief Rand Bogaard.
Bogaard tells WHO 13 when firefighters arrived, the building was fully consumed by the flames.
The Pella Fire Department is a volunteer service, so the firefighters weren't at the fire station when the flames began to spread.
“All of these guys were bucking drifts and saying they weren’t sure they were going to make it,” said Bogaard. “So it just shows the extra effort needed just to get there.”
No fatalities have been reported, but a few minor injuries were sustained.
The law office is considered a total loss. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.