Fire Damages Woman's Home for Second Time, Dogs Killed

By Jeff Raasch

Two dogs died and this house at 1110 Fourth Ave. in Vinton was damaged after fire broke out this morning, Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. No humans were injured. (Jeff Raasch/The Gazette)

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By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Nov 23, 2009 at 12:52 PM CST

Story Updated: Nov 23, 2009 at 12:52 PM CST

VINTON - Fire killed two dogs and heavily damaged a house Monday morning in Vinton, just three weeks after the tenant moved in.

Firefighters went to 1110 Fourth Ave. at 9:34 a.m. when the blaze was reported.

Vinton Fire Chief Gary McKenna said he suspects that a gas-powered heater in a north wall of the home malfunctioned, causing the fire.

No humans were injured.

Tenant Dawn Wernett said she left for class at Kirkwood Community College less than an hour before one of her friends drove by and noticed smoke. She said the heater was off because of the nice weather.

Wernett was still in shock as she stood across the street after the fire was extinguished.

“I kept telling them, ‘The dogs are in the kitchen, go get them,’” Wernett said. “But by then it was too late.”

The home is owned by Bernie J. Markey of Hills, according to the Benton County Assessor.

It was the second time in five months Wernett has been impacted by a fire. Some of her belongings were damaged by smoke when a fire started in an apartment above her in Vinton on July 13.

She moved in to the house on Fourth Avenue on Nov. 1.

“I had just put up my Christmas stuff, too,” Wernett said.

The home was built in 1937. McKenna said it is relatively common to find older homes heated by wall units.

“It’s not an ideal heat source, in my opinion, but a lot of those houses back then had them,” McKenna said.

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