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Bluffs house fire may have been racially motivated

News

January 16th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

(Corrects source as Omaha World-Herald, not KETV)

A residential fire in Council Bluffs early this (Friday) morning, may have racially motivated origins. The Omaha World-Herald reports the call about the blaze in northeast Council Bluffs came in at around 3:35-a.m. from a Bluffs police officer who noticed heavy smoke in the area and went to investigate.

Reports to Pottawattamie County emergency 911 dispatchers indicated that firefighters had the blaze at a home near North 29th Street and Avenue G was “knocked down’’ about 20 to 25 minutes after it was reported. No injuries were reported.

Some reports to dispatchers indicated that the home had swastikas and racial slurs spray-painted on its garage. WOWT reports a woman in her 60s lives in the home, and has a daughter of mixed race.