“We were on the scene two minutes after receiving the call, and had water on the fire five minutes after the call.” according to Webster City Fire Chief Chuck Stansfield,

Stansfield confirmed that the fire started on an enclosed porch at the front of the home.

Using one of the department’s thermal energy cameras, Stansfield determined the fire’s hot spots, and that’s where Fire Technician Dakota Feickert, who was manning the hoses, directed the water.

“We immediately ventilated the porch,” Stansfield said, “to stop the fire from spreading further into the home.”

“There was smoke throughout the house, and it was getting warm,” Stansfield added.

Although family members told the fire department no one was left in the home when fire fighters arrived on the scene, Stansfield said, “we always make our own inspection to confirm this before issuing an all-clear.”

The family’s cat, under a bed in an upstairs bedroom, was rescued by fire fighters Cole Youngdale and Jordan Wagner. “The cat may have suffered some smoke inhalation, and wasn’t happy to be removed, but will recover,” Stansfield noted.

Stansfield said the precise cause of the fire may never be known, but told The Daily Freeman Journal, “we’ve identified some possible sources.”

He explained insurance companies sometimes follow-up to make their own, independent determination of how and where fires started.

“In those cases, they may want a sample of burnt material from the place where the fire may have originated, to send to a laboratory for further investigation.” he said.

Without saying they were involved in this fire, Stansfield cited the inherent danger of lithium-ion powered appliances commonly found in U.S. homes today.

In the last two decades, smartphones, tablets, e-readers, cordless and robotic vacuums, cordless drills, saws and other hand tools, cordless toothbrushes, rechargeable fans and portable lawn equipment, have come into widespread use.

“Lithium batteries get hot, and many of these devices are left plugged-in at all times,” Stansfield said. “If they’re too close to combustible materials, the potential for fire increases.”