SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
Investigators search for a cause after fire breaks out at a Sioux City apartment complex.
Today the scene, burnt siding, insulation, and other fire debris remain outside one of the buildings at the Glen Oaks Apartment complex.
Officials say the fire started in a storage room outside of a top floor apartment and spread into the attic, but the exact cause is still unknown.
Although everything looked calm during the daylight on Thursday, Wednesday night was a much different story.
A crazy night for those living in one of the Glen Oaks Apartment buildings in Sioux City. And that includes a state representative from Iowa. Normally, Chris Hall spends his days battling bureaucrats and bills. But Wednesday night, he helped take on a blaze at Glen Oaks Apartments.
About 11:30, Hall was watching TV with a friend, when he heard shouting outside.
"We went out and of course there was smoke billowing off the top of the apartment complex," said Hall.
On the opposite side of his building, Hall found flames shooting off a third floor deck.
"Started shouting, hoping that somebody had their windows open, hopefully somebody would hear us," said Hall.
Heather Bagley did, one floor down from the fire. She could see flames from her living room.
"They started small, and within a minute or two minutes there were lots of flames," said Bagley.
Bagley grabbed a fire extinguisher, called 911, and started knocking on doors. Hall headed to the engulfed balcony to fight the fire, and help the folks that live there.
"Talked with the guys and said, 'Hey it's not doing any good, we got to keep moving. Get what you have'," said Hall.
Emergency crews arrived shortly after, getting flames under control. They say the fire started inside the deck's storage room, then spread to the attic. Most of the apartment was spared.
"As far as inside the residence, minor fire damage," said Jesse Pedersen, with the Sioux City Fire Department.
The next step for fire crews is finding a cause.
For Hall and Bagley it's back to bed, after helping fight a fire that could have been worse.
"Thankfully everybody got out safely," said Hall.
Fire officials say they'll continue to look for a cause. The tenant in the burned apartment was given another room at Glen Oaks for the night. There were no injuries.
