Press Release
February 10, 2021
At 10:27 AM Wednesday February 10, 2021 the Burlington Fire Department responded to a reported house fire at 217 S. Woodlawn Street in Burlington. Firefighters arrived 4 minutes later to find smoke and flames showing from the 4-unit apartment house. Firefighters faced challenges extinguishing the fire due to the cold weather, icy conditions, and the terrain. Firefighters were able to locate the base of the fire in a 1st floor apartment and had the fire extinguished by 11:45 AM.
Two of the apartments were occupied at the time of the fire and everyone was able to escape without injury. The occupants were alerted to the fire in an unoccupied apartment by working smoke alarms. The apartment house is owned by CB Properties and is insured. Three of the four occupants are covered with renter’s insurance. The Red Cross is providing victim assistance for the tenants. Damages are still being assessed, but the apartment house is most likely a total loss.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Burlington Fire Department and is not considered suspicious at this time.
15 on-duty Burlington firefighters responded to the call and were assisted by 4 West Burlington firefighters responding on automatic aid. Burlington Police, Streets, and Waterworks Departments, Superior Ambulance, and Alliant Energy also assisted at the scene. Firefighters cleared the scene at 2:50 PM. There were no injuries.
Mark Crooks
Fire Marshal