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Firefighters contain electrical fire at downtown building in 35 Minutes

No injuries reported

September 17, 2025 at 11:34 am CDT

An aerial view of firefighters on top of a roof at Grassers Heating and Plumbing on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025 in McNabb. The fire began shortly before 10a.m. A Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was elevated to the fourth-alarm. No one was injured in the fire. Fire departments from McNabb, Peru, Utica, Henry, Ladd, Hennepin, Granville, Oglesby, Spring Valley, Leonore, Troy Grove, Seatonville, Wenona, Standard, Lacon-Sparland, Bureau and Tonica all responded to the scene. Firefighters left the scene at 11:30a.m. — An aerial view of firefighters on top of a roof at Grassers Heating and Plumbing on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in McNabb. The fire began shortly before 10 a.m. A Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was elevated to the fourth-alarm. No one was injured in the fire. Fire departments from McNabb, Peru, Utica, Henry, Ladd, Hennepin, Granville, Oglesby, Spring Valley, Leonore, Troy Grove, Seatonville, Wenona, Standard, Lacon-Sparland, Bureau and Tonica all responded to the scene. Firefighters left the scene at 11:30a.m. (Scott Anderson)

Quentin Buffington, Deputy Chief of the Hennepin Fire Department, said firefighters were dispatched before 10 a.m. after Grasser’s employees noticed smoke issuing from an eave of the downtown building.

Responding personnel noticed smoke coming out of both eaves, made an interior attack, and vented the roof in search of the fire’s origin.

Buffington said fire was pinpointed in a back corner near the power supply.

The Office of the State Marshal has been called to investigate what appears to be an electrical issue and it is certainly accidental in nature.

”There are a lot of people and a lot of apparatus and personnel out here, but with these old buildings that have been remodeled and rehabbed, we were playing it safe and we don’t want to burn the downtown.”

Buffington said it took about 35 minutes to extinguish the fire. There were no injuries.

More than a dozen companies were on scene. A complete list of responding departments is pending.