Fire ravages four-unit apartment building on Division Street and Woodlawn Avenue

Feb. 11—Two residents of a four-unit apartment building on the corner of Division Street and Woodlawn Avenue watched helplessly from a vehicle Wednesday as smoke billowed from their home and firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

The Burlington Fire Department was notified of the fire at 217 S. Woodlawn Ave. shortly before 10:30 a.m. when a tenant reported smoke detectors in the building had been activated and that smoke was visible within.

The tenant also notified building owners Luke Caston and Jake Caston, who arrived at the scene in three minutes.

"One of our tenants called me and we just happened to be right down the street," Luke Caston said from inside Fire Marshal Mark Crooks' vehicle, which was parked along a section of Division Street that had been cordoned off for emergency vehicle access.

Upon arrival, the Caston brothers entered the building in hopes of finding the source of the fire and to make sure no one was inside, but they were overpowered by smoke.

"We didn't last long. We had to get out of there," Luke Caston said. "We hollered for their names and that was it."

Two of the apartments were occupied at the time of the fire and everyone was able to escape without injury. The building's remaining tenants, including one dog, were not home at the time and all have been accounted for. Two of the building residents watched from their car but declined to comment.

Battalion Chief Bruce Workman of the Burlington Fire Department said firefighters arrived four minutes after the call came in to discover flames on the first floor and smoke throughout the building.

"It was quite involved when we got here," Workman said as firefighters worked in shifts to get the fire under control.

The BFD called in aid from the West Burlington Fire Department as well as to all off-duty firefighters. In total, 27 firefighters responded to the scene. They were able to extinguish the fire by 11:45 a.m.

Workman said the building's balloon-frame construction — having no fire stops between floors — allowed the fire to spread quickly throughout the structure.

"(Balloon-frame construction) is typical of these turn-of-the-century homes," Workman said.

According to Des Moines County property records, the South Woodlawn was built in 1900.

Fire Marshal Mark Crooks said the cold, snow and slick surfaces made battling the blaze more difficult for fire crews.

"With these slippery conditions, you have to be extra careful with your footing," Crooks said, adding there also were concerns about the possibility of emergency vehicles sliding downhill.

Firefighters opted to slide down the hill between the sidewalk and the structure rather than risk the stairs, and, despite the frigid temperatures, took turns hosing each other off in an effort to wash away insulation and other debris they came into contact with while inside the building.

Firefighters cleared the scene at 2:50 p.m.

The apartment is insured, and three of the four occupants had renter's insurance. The Red Cross is providing victim assistance to tenants.

Damages still are being assessed, but the building most likely is a total loss.

The Burlington Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire, but it is not considered suspicious at this time.

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