Rural Maquoketa home destroyed by fire

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — A rural Maquoketa home was destroyed by fire and a wood-burning stove is suspected as the cause.

Maquoketa Fire Chief Mark Beck said firefighters could see black smoke as fire trucks raced along Iowa 428, known as Caves Road, to the Bill Stetler residence at 10964 74th St. at 11:22 a.m. Sunday. The home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Stetler told the fire chief the fire was moving quickly at the rear of the house when he got home Sunday morning.

Stetler, who was not injured, told firefighters there was a wood-burning stove in the part of the house where the flames started. The property is owned by Lawrence Riley of Maquoketa and Stetler was renting the home. Beck said Riley had insurance on the property, but Stetler had no renter’s insurance.

“He lost everything,” Beck said.

The Red Cross was called to help find a place for Stetler to stay.

“I believe it was the wood-burning stove,” Beck said. “There was nothing left to investigate. It all went into the basement. The only part of the structure standing is a chimney.”

Beck said the frigid temperatures caused some of the equipment to be sluggish, but didn’t prevent them from putting out the fire. Baldwin Fire Department assisted by bringing a tanker. Firefighters hauled water from the City of Maquoketa to the rural home.

— Sheri Melvold