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Fire causes extensive damage in central Iowa town’s downtown

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July 5th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

MELCHER-DALLAS, Iowa (AP) – A major fire has damaged several buildings in a central Iowa downtown area. The Des Moines Register reports the fire started late Tuesday in Melcher-Dallas and continued to burn into the early morning hours today (Wednesday).

Melcher-Dallas Police Chief Steve Johns says he doesn’t think fireworks caused the fire, but the cause of the blaze hasn’t been determined yet. No injuries were reported, but the building housing That’s My Bag and More is a total loss. The fire also caused extensive damage at a building housing a bar and grill and some apartments.

Melcher-Dallas is a town of about 1,300 people 40 miles southeast of Des Moines. A crowd of about 100 people stood in the town square watching the fire Tuesday night.