Fire At 5051 Nordic Ridge Drive, Cedar Falls

Officials are investigating a fire that destroyed a Cedar Falls home Monday night (July 16, 2018).

Huge plumes of thick, black smoke from the fire could be seen for several miles. Crews were called out to battle the blaze at 5051 Nordic Ridge Dr. around 7:30 PM and remained at the scene for more than six hours.

Fire Chief John Bostwick said when firefighters arrived, flames were shooting up the back side of the house. The blaze rapidly spread to the rest of the structure, forcing firefighters to vacate the home and battle the blaze from the outside.

"We initially made an interior attack on the house," Bostwick said. "We were initially successful in knocking it down, but it got into the attic area. Once it got into the attic area, it extended quit a bit. We got everybody out of the house and went to a defensive attack on the fire, so we didn't get anybody injured. The fire got knocked down a little bit later."

Bostwick said the occupants were away from home when the blaze broke out, and no injuries were reported.

"Initially, we got a report that someone may be in the house," the fire chief said. "We found out quickly that no one was in the house."

The fire also damaged the house next door at 5053 Nordic Ridge Dr. Heat from the flames melted siding on the neighboring home, Bostwick said.

Investigators are trying to determine what sparked the fire. Bostwick said officials hope to know more about the cause on Tuesday.

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