(Red Oak, Iowa) — A fire Thursday morning in Red Oak gutted a house, but there were no injuries reported. Fire officials say faulty wiring sparked a house fire in Red Oak Thursday morning. Firefighters responded at around 9:20-a.m. to a structure fire at 300 Market Street. The first crews to arrive on the scene encountered heavy flames in the rear of the residence. They were also notified children and an adult male may be inside the home.

As firefighters made entry into the structure to find any potentially trapped or injured victims, word was received that neither the children or the adult were inside. Firefighters suppressed the fire and conducted salvage and overhaul operations, bringing the fire under control at 10:20 a.m. Firefighter’s terminated ground operations at 11:25 a.m.

Photo courtesy the Red Oak Fire Department

An investigation determined that faulty wiring igniting combustibles on the back porch. The house sustained significant structural damage and was expected to be declared a total loss. Assisting Red Oak Fire at the scene, was: The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency; The Stanton, Essex and Emerson Fire Departments; Red Oak Police; The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office; MidAmerican Energy; City of Red Oak water and street departments crews; The Montgomery County Communications Center, and the State Fire Marshall’s Office.