Estherville, IA (northwestiowanow) — The Estherville Fire Department responded to an electrical fire Friday morning.

Crews were dispatched to a rental home at 626 West 6th Avenue North shortly before 7:50 a.m. The home’s lone occupant was able to escape before responders arrived.

Estherville Fire Chief Travis Sheridan says he was the first firefighter on scene and observed smoke coming from a bedroom window that had been cracked open. As additional crews entered the home, they encountered heavy smoke coming from behind a bedroom door.  Due to fire conditions inside the residence, firefighters exited the structure and began a defensive firefighting operation from outside the home. Crews were able to bring the blaze under control in about 20 minutes.

Sheridan says the bedroom sustained the heaviest damage, while smoke damage extended throughout the remainder of the home.  Firefighters remained on scene for about an hour and a half conducting overhaul operations and ensuring the fire was completely extinguished.  Investigators believe the fire was caused by an electrical issue.

The Estherville Fire Department was assisted by the Estherville Police Department, Wallingford Fire Department, and the American Red Cross.