The New Year’s Day house fire in Perry required multiple attempts to extinguish, but the Perry Volunteer Fire Department is happy to report no one was injured and no neighboring houses sustained fire damage.

Just 45 minutes after the calendar turned to 2018, several people called 911 to report the fire at 1319 5th Street across from St. Patrick’s Catholic School. Upon their arrival, firefighters battled the blaze in sub-zero temperatures, getting it under control before it could spread to neighboring homes. However, the house, which was owned by Jose Diaz of Perry but had been sitting vacant, was declared a total loss. With the fire apparently out, the firefighters left at around 5:30 a.m., but wound up returning to the home a few hours later when it managed to reignite.

At 7:08 a.m., the Perry Police Department discovered heavy smoke and flames coming from the structure. This time, the fire department needed to call in the public works department for the use of their backhoe. Crews pulled collapsed roof off the ground level floor so firefighters could extinguish the fire burning between the collapsed portions of the house. The fire was finally out for good at 9:20. The cause is still unknown at this time, and the investigation is ongoing.

Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it’s made official.