Kitchen Fire Displaces Seven Family Members
A morning kitchen fire in Cedar Rapids has displaced two adults and five children at 2026 Eastern Boulevard SE. Firefighters were called to the scene at 7:45 a.m. on Dec. 6, 2009, when one of the occupants called 911 to report a fire in the kitchen area of the one and one-half story single-family dwelling.
Fire crews arrived on scene and made entry through the front door of the house, proceeded through a living room and encountered heavy smoke and fire in the kitchen area. The fire was concentrated behind the stove and refrigerator, and had spread to nearby cabinets. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, confining fire and heat damage to the kitchen. There was smoke damage, however, throughout the first floor.
The occupants of the home, Chris Gehrke, age 29 and Erica Gehrke, age 30, awoke to find smoke coming from the kitchen. The couple removed their five children, ranging in age from one year to eight years old, from the house and called 911 on a cellular phone. The family’s two cats were also removed safely. The smoke alarm in the hallway next to the kitchen did not activate as it was missing a battery.
No one was injured. The American Red Cross was dispatched to the scene to assist the residents. The owners of the property are Gary and Katherine Goldstein of Cedar Rapids. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Information provided by the Cedar Rapids Fire Department.
| Home | Top Stories | Sports | Cedar Rapids | Iowa City | Opinion | Pictures | Video | E-mail us |
Jazz 88.3 KCCK is Iowa’s only Jazz station. Listen at 88.3 FM and online at 
