Fire’s cause unknown

By Kurt Allemeier | Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Davenport firefighters quickly doused a blaze Tuesday morning at a duplex that, if allowed to grow, would have caused significant damage, officials said.

Arriving on the scene, 417 W. 13th St., at 9:32 a.m., firefighters found light smoke that was becoming thicker as they entered the structure, Capt. Robbie Minnaert said. They found the fire inside a wall of the front living room and knocked it down in about five minutes.

The fire likely would have grown in intensity quickly if it had not been reported when it was, Minnaert said.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, the fire captain said. The affected unit is unoccupied, and residents were allowed to return to the other unit.

The half of the duplex involved in the fire experienced water and smoke damage, as well as damage from firefighters trying to determine whether any other flames were present, Minnaert said. A damage estimate was unavailable Tuesday.

Kurt Allemeier can be contacted at (563) 383-2360 or kallemeier@qctimes.com.