‘Gut-wrenching’: Overnight fire devastates central Iowa furniture business
FIVE STARTS NOW. RIGHT NOW, FIREFIGHTERS ARE CLOSELY MONITORING A BUSINESS IN SAYLOR TOWNSHIP AFTER A FIRE REKINDLED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE SPAN OF LESS THAN 24 HOURS. THE FIRE STARTED LAST NIGHT AT FURNITURE PROFESSIONALS, A FURNITURE REFURBISHING WAREHOUSE ON NORTHEAST 46TH PLACE BY I-35. WE’VE BEEN WATCHING THE SITUATION CLOSELY NOW. SEVERAL LOCAL AGENCIES DID RESPOND TO THAT CALL. THANKFULLY, NO ONE WAS INJURED, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THAT BUSINESS IS A TOTAL LOSS. KCCI MARCUS MCINTOSH JOINS US LIVE NOW. AND MARCUS, THE FIRE ISN’T THE ONLY THING THAT THOSE FIREFIGHTERS HAD TO BE WORRIED ABOUT. NICOLE AND LAURA, NOW THE OWNER OF THE BUSINESS BEHIND ME, THAT ALL BUT BURNED TO THE GROUND, SAYS HE USES HIGHLY FLAMMABLE CHEMICALS AS PART OF HIS JOB. NOW, DESPITE SPRINKLERS, A FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM AND FIRE CABINETS, HE KNOWS THE CHEMICAL CHEMICALS HE USES ON A DAILY BASIS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY PROBLEMATIC. DAN MOSSBURG, OWNER OF FURNITURE PROFESSIONALS, CAME BACK TO THE SCENE OF HIS BUSINESS FIRE, TUESDAY MORNING, WHERE HE HOPED TO SALVAGE WHATEVER HE COULD FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING. BY THEN, THE FIRE WAS SPRINGING BACK UP, SO CALL 911. GOT HIM BACK OUT HERE. MOSSBURG SAYS THE FIRE THAT STARTED MONDAY NIGHT DESTROYED JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING. TERRIBLY GUTIERREZ-REED. HIS BUSINESS WAS CLOSED WHEN THE FIRE STARTED. NO ONE WAS INSIDE WHEN IT SPARKED. KNOWING THE EMPLOYEES OF HIS SMALL BUSINESS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR, HIS MIND QUICKLY TURNED TO WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED MAJOR PROBLEMS. YOU HAVE STAINS. YOU HAVE FINISH. AND EVEN THOUGH I’VE GOT LIKE FIVE DIFFERENT FIRE CABINETS IN THERE, IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH FOR IT AS THAT GETS HOT BEFORE THAT STARTS FAILING. TOWNSHIP FIRE CHIEF CODY HUNTER TELLS KCCI HE IS AWARE OF THE FLAMMABLE CHEMICALS USED IN THE BUILDING, TELLING US THERE WERE NO AIR QUALITY ISSUES, BUT THE CHEMICALS CONTRIBUTED TO HOTSPOTS FLARING BACK UP CONSTANTLY DUE TO THEIR FLAMMABILITY. MOSSBURG MAY HAVE REPORTED THE FIRE REKINDLING AFTER TUESDAY MORNING, BUT THAT WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE FIRE AT HIS BUSINESS SPARKED BACK UP. THERE WAS ONE THIS MORNING AROUND 3:00, 330. MULTIPLE FIRE DEPARTMENTS RESPONDED TO THAT, PUT IT OUT. AND THEN AGAIN THIS MORNING AT 915, WE HAD ONE MORE REKINDLE. NO ONE WAS INJURED AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE. AND THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE AT THIS POINT IS NOT KNOWN. MOSSBURG TELLS US HIS BUSINESS LOSSES ARE INTO THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. WE’RE LIVE IN SALEM TOWNSHIP. I’M MARCUS
‘Gut-wrenching’: Overnight fire devastates central Iowa furniture business
Dayan Mossberg, the owner of Furniture Professionals, returned to his business premises on Tuesday morning after a fire had devastated it the previous night. “It’s terribly gut-wrenching,” said Mossberg.Hoping to salvage what remained, Mossberg was confronted with the grim reality that most of his assets were destroyed. Despite the devastating loss, he was relieved to find that none of his employees were present when the fire started, ensuring their safety.Mossberg was on the scene when the fire rekindled for the second time.”By then, the fire was sparking back up. So I called 911 to get them back out here,” Mossberg said. The flammable materials housed in the workshop could have been very problematic.”You have stains, you have finish. And even though I’ve got five different fire cabinets in there, it doesn’t take much. Once that gets hot before it starts failing,” Mossberg explained. Saylor Township Fire Chief Cody Hunter was aware of the flammable chemicals on site.In a statement to KCCI, he is confident there were “No air quality issues, but the flammable substances contributed significantly to the hot spots flaring up repeatedly.”Mossberg estimates his loss is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Dayan Mossberg, the owner of Furniture Professionals, returned to his business premises on Tuesday morning after a fire had devastated it the previous night.
“It’s terribly gut-wrenching,” said Mossberg.
Hoping to salvage what remained, Mossberg was confronted with the grim reality that most of his assets were destroyed.
Despite the devastating loss, he was relieved to find that none of his employees were present when the fire started, ensuring their safety.
Mossberg was on the scene when the fire rekindled for the second time.
“By then, the fire was sparking back up. So I called 911 to get them back out here,” Mossberg said.
The flammable materials housed in the workshop could have been very problematic.
“You have stains, you have finish. And even though I’ve got five different fire cabinets in there, it doesn’t take much. Once that gets hot before it starts failing,” Mossberg explained.
Saylor Township Fire Chief Cody Hunter was aware of the flammable chemicals on site.
In a statement to KCCI, he is confident there were “No air quality issues, but the flammable substances contributed significantly to the hot spots flaring up repeatedly.”
Mossberg estimates his loss is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
