BREAKING: Fire Southeast of Charles City Shuts Down Avenue of the Saints

Roads are closed this morning in the vicinity of a Sunday (04.06) night fire just outside of Charles City.

Close to 70 firefighters from Charles City and seven other area departments battled the blaze at Hawkeye Mold and Design, with the initial call coming in just after 8:30 pm Sunday night. The Charles City Fire Department (CCFD) says a passerby called 911 to report heavy smoke coming from a building at 2323 Old Highway Road.

CCFD personnel arrived to find a large commercial structure with heavy smoke and fire, and firefighters immediately began an external fire attack. Fire Departments from Floyd, Colwell, Rudd, Rockford, Marble Rock, Nora Springs, and Nashua also responded to the scene. Mutual aid was also called from various public safety agencies. 

At about 11:30 pm, officials deemed conditions unsafe due to several stored materials within the structure, requiring the evacuation of all personnel from the immediate scene to a safe location. At the same time, residents within a half mile of the fire, in the downwind direction, were told to evacuate by the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office. 

At this time, CCFD says there is no immediate danger to the public outside of the scene and evacuated area. Several agencies remain on scene to monitor the situation.

Roads are closed all around the scene, including the Avenue of the Saints (Highway 27) from Nashua to the Charles City South Grand Avenue exit (Exit 218). Motorists should follow the detour utilizing county highways T64 and B60.  

Officials are also warning, “do not attempt to go around any barricades and stay away from the area to allow personnel to continue working safely.”

Also assisting were the Floyd County and Cerro Gordo County Emergency Management Agencies, Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, Charles City Police Department, Floyd County Communications Center, Floyd County Search & Rescue, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Transportation, Cedar Falls State Radio Communications, North Central Regional Emergency Response Commission (HazMat Team), CH Wilson, National Weather Service – La Crosse, Iowa Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, FEMA, and MidAmerican Energy.