Melcher-Dallas fire wrecks buildings on town square: 'It's hard to see it'

Linh Ta
The Des Moines Register

MELCHER-DALLAS, Ia. — Downtown buildings caught fire late Tuesday in a central Iowa town and firefighters worked into the early-morning hours to tame the flames.

The cause of the 15-alarm fire was not clear, although Melcher-Dallas Police Chief Steve Johns said he didn't think Independence Day fireworks were involved.

The fire might have started at That's My Bag and More, 117 S. Main St., which is a total loss. It spread south to Sinners & Saints Bar & Grill and apartments above Ernst Auctioneering Service.

No injuries were reported. 

"It's really a scary, horrific incident to have happen," Johns said. "It's normally a day of celebration. To have something tragic like this happen, it's really terrible."

About 100 residents stood across the street in the town square watching the familiar buildings burn. Melcher-Dallas is a town of about 1,300 people southwest of Knoxville.

Smoke and flames were visible from miles outside of Melcher-Dallas. 

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is expected to investigate on Wednesday.

Firefighters used about 130,000 gallons of water by 1:30 a.m., Johns said. He thought another 50,000 gallons might be used before firefighters stop.

The Iowa State Savings Bank to the north of That's My Bag did not suffer fire damage.

Many of the volunteer firefighters helping in Melcher-Dallas had been spending the holiday with friends and family.

“That’s what these small towns do,” said Kevin Fallis, a firefighter and emergency medical worker for Pleasantville. “They help each other in times of need.”

David Ernst said he received a text message a little after 9 p.m. Tuesday that his business was on fire.

The building, which is over 100 years old, has been his residence and workplace for five years. The Melcher-Dallas native owns Ernst Auctioneering Service, while he and his wife live in the apartments above.

“It’s hard to see it,” Ernst said, as he watched firefighters battle the blaze at the bar next door. “Everything that I own is in it, so we’re losing everything.”

Ernst said the buildings that caught on fire were some of the oldest in the square. While firefighters were able to rescue his wife’s cat upstairs, he said, the cat that lives in the store did not make it.

Flames top a building early Wednesday, July 5, 2017, in downtown Melcher-Dallas.

Ernst said he was raised in town and saw the Main Street area gaining new vitality with his business and the bar opening in the last few years.

“They’re all relatively new businesses,” Ernst said. “The town was starting to pick back up.”

He said residents offered their assistance and they plan on staying with family nearby.

Multiple area fire departments converged on Melcher-Dallas to assist in the response, including Knoxville, Pella, Pleasantville, Milo, Bussey, Columbia and surrounding townships. Around 60 volunteer firefighters were on the scene.

Firefighters work early Wednesday, July 5, 2017, to contain a fire in downtown Melcher-Dallas.