Fire Damages Anamosa Wastewater Treatment Plant

A fire damaged Anamosa’s wastewater treatment plant early Wednesday morning.

The City of Anamosa says the fire was reported shortly after 3 am at the plant, which is located at 1205 Walworth Avenue. Shortly before the call-for-service came in, Public Utilities employees also received an automatic warning, indicating a blower system malfunction. 

The Anamosa Fire Department and Anamosa Police Department responded to the scene, along with employees from the Public Utilities Department, Streets Department, and City Hall.

The fire was confined to the blower room, within the Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is accessible through a large overhead garage door. A City-owned vehicle parked inside the facility was completely engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. The Anamosa Fire Department was able to promptly extinguish the fire. The City of Anamosa says the State Fire Marshal, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and necessary contractors were immediately notified of the incident.

A malfunctioning blower is suspected to be the cause of the fire, which then spread to the unattended vehicle parked within the same area. The City says there were no reported injuries or deaths from this incident and there are no public health concerns to report at this time. City employees will be working to ensure the system is back online, and functioning properly, as soon as possible. The total amount of damage is currently unknown, but an assessment will be conducted as soon as routine operations can be resumed.