April 19, 2024

One injured Monday in Colfax house fire

By Mike Mendenhall
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Fire crews battle a house fire Monday afternoon at 316 S. Lincoln St. in Colfax. Fire officials on the scene said one man was transported to Skiff Medical Center in Newton for injuries resulting from the fire, and the house is a total loss. (Mike Mendenhall)

COLFAX — One person was reportedly injured Monday when a house caught fire at 316 S. Lincoln St. in Colfax.

Witnesses and neighbors said the victim is 35-year-old Scott Nestvedt, of Colfax. According to Colfax Fire Department Captain JD Smith, no one else was in the home at the time of the blaze, and the victim had already left the scene for a neighbor’s house by the time fire and rescue crews arrived on scene at approximately 2:20 p.m.

First responders on scene said Nestvedt was transported to Skiff Medical Center in Newton. His condition was not available at presstime Tuesday, but one witness claimed he saw a male with cuts and burns leave the house shortly after the fire began.

According to Colfax city staff, the house was thought to be vacant and neighbors told investigators they’ve recently witnessed people sleeping in a vehicle(s) parked in the home’s backyard. The home’s owner, Michael Nestvedt, was not present at the time of the fire.

Smith said the house was fully engulfed when crews arrived on scene. Emergency fire personnel from three area departments were called to the blaze. Crews were still extinguishing hot spots at 3:45 p.m. Monday, and Smith said the house is likely a total loss.

Several neighbors said they heard a pop or small explosion just before flames appeared. In a follow up interview Tuesday morning Smith said with the extensive damage to the structure it’s unlikely investigators will be able to determine the cause of the fire.

“As bad as it’s damaged, I don’t know if we’ll be able to trace back to what caused it or not,” Smith said Monday.

Two adjacent homes also received minor damage. Eric Snow owns the house at 312 S. Lincoln St., the property directly north of the fire. He said vinyl siding on his home’s south exterior wall melted from the heat of the fire.

Smith said the homeowner directly to the south was not home during the blaze and the extent of the damage to that property was not yet known.

Prairie City Fire Department, Prairie City EMS, Colfax Ambulance, Mingo Fire Department, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and Colfax Police Department assisted in the fire.

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com