ZWINGLE, Iowa -- A furious fire engulfed a Dubuque County home Friday evening, all but reducing the two-story structure to a pile of rubble and injuring a firefighter in the battle.
The call came in at about 5:20 p.m., dispatching multiple fire departments to 5170 St. Joseph's Prairie Road, the home of Richard Ambrosy.
By the time firefighters arrived, smoke was pouring out of the second-floor windows, the old house a veritable tinderbox exhaling flames.
Key West Fire Chief Brian Arnold said the crews didn't have a chance.
"Everything went from the floor to the attic, and we went to a defensive attack," Arnold said. "Once it got through the roof and vented itself it was a lost cause."
Ambrosy was not at home at the time, and there were no injuries reported other than to the Key West firefighter, who was treated at a local hospital and released. Arnold said the firefighter was distressed by the toxic fumes spewing from the piles of junk and old equipment -- including spent LP tanks -- cluttering the rural property.
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"We had to pull a hose from the highway," Arnold said. "We had about 500 feet of hose from the gravel road to the house."
Initial emergency calls reported a grass fire near the property.
Neighbors and passers-by gave the TH and firefighters conflicting reports, however, so it remains unclear whether a grass fire spread to the house, or it was the other way around.
The cause had not been determined as of late Friday, and an investigation continues. The Dubuque County Sheriff's Department does not suspect foul play.
Firefighters remained at the scene for more than three hours, conceding the loss but keeping the fire contained.
"A couple other structures near the house were somewhat involved, but they got stopped. We didn't lose any of them," Arnold said.
The value of the loss is estimated at $100,000, according to the sheriff's department.
Fire departments from Bernard, La Motte, Farley and Dubuque assisted Key West firefighters at the scene.
Ambrosy reportedly refused Red Cross assistance.
