Crews were initially called to the scene for a reported fire alarm. Once on scene, they had a fire that was put out by the building’s sprinkler system. They then called for additional rigs.
Sioux City Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief, Frank Fulton, told KTIV that the cause was something next to a space heater that caught fire.
He also says the fire was put out quickly by the building’s sprinkler system.
Morningside University says no students, faculty, or staff were injured during the incident.
“The safety and well-being of our students are our highest priorities,” said Morningside University. All residents of the building were temporarily evacuated as a precautionary measure and have since been cleared to return to their rooms.”
University officials say one residential unit was affected.
“Due to the incident, one residential unit was affected. The students residing in this unit will be temporarily relocated to other on-campus housing University staff are working directly with these students to ensure they have the support and resources they need,” said Morningside University. We are grateful for the swift response of the local fire department and our campus safety team.”
With many people using space heaters this season, Sioux City Fire Rescue wants to remind Siouxlanders to always be cautious.
“Something for people to remember is, you want to keep at least a 3-foot distance around your space heaters,” said Assistant Fire Chief Fulton. “They do get pretty hot, obviously, that is what started the fire tonight.”