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(Urbandale, Iowa) Urbandale Firefighters continue to put out hot spots, and watch for any rekindling of a large fire Monday that caused extensive damage to a three story building, in the Plumwood Terrace Condominium complex, near 86th Street and Plum Drive.
There were no injuries. The Red Cross is assisting residents of the building, which had 36-units, 33 of which were occupied.
Urbandale Fire Chief Jerry Holt tells WHO Radio News the fire started late yesterday afternoon, in the attic of the building. He says crews were able to save the south half of the building, but he considers the entire building a total loss, because of smoke and water damage. Holt says they're investigating the cause of the fire, but says the amount of damage, and frozen water, may make that difficult to determine.
Chief Holt says at least 50 firefighters from multiple departments responded, including Johnston & Grimes, Saylor Township, West Des Moines, Waukee, and Clive. He estimates they used at least 400-thousand gallons of water to fight the fire.
Crews were rotated in and out every 15-minutes or so because of the extreme cold temperatures.
Holt says the building was constructed before fire sprinklers were mandatory.
Fire caused extensive damage to another building in the same complex, in 2010. The cause of that fire, was a propane grill.