Hunter
06/28/22
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Department has issued a release detailing two early morning fires on Saturday.
The first call came at 4:22 am regarding a structure fire on American Legion Road Southeast in Iowa City. Arriving personnel from the Iowa City Fire Department, Iowa City Police, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and the West Branch Fire Department found the Iowa City Church of Christ fully engulfed in flames and smoke. It took several hours to fully extinguish the blaze due to its size and the inclement weather occurring at the time. The building has been declared a total loss.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the state Fire Marshal, National Weather Service, and the FBI assisted in the investigation; the Sheriff’s Office says that it’s standard practice for federal authorities to get involved in a fire investigation involving a church.
The second call came Saturday morning at 4:25am from 5250 Highway 6 East, about four miles southeast of the church fire. West Branch Fire Department arrived and extinguished an outbuilding.
No injuries or fatalities were suffered from either incident. Photos of the church from 2019 and the aftermath of Saturday’s fire come from the Church’s website and social media.
