One person has died as a result of a home explosion that occurred in the city of Washington Monday.
Fire Chief Brendan DeLong says that 68-year-old George Carpenter died on Thursday as a result of the explosion that occurred at 1114 East Washington Street around 4 a.m. Monday. Carpenter and one other occupant of the home were transported to University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, and the home was a total loss. DeLong says the incident remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office as a gas explosion, and no further details are available at this time. The Washington and Ainsworth fire departments, Washington Police Department, Washington County Ambulance Service, Washington Public Works, Iowa Department of Transportation, and Alliant Energy responded to the scene. KCII will bring you more information as it becomes official.
A special election will be held to fill the Ward 3 seat on the Washington City Council that was left vacant by Brendan DeLong Tuesday.
The council held a special session following their regular meeting to determine whether to fill the vacancy by appointment or by an election for a term that’s set to expire in December 2023. Council member Steven Gault stated his belief that this term was too long to fill by appointment, and expressed a preference for vacant council seats to be filled by an election. Mayor Jaron Rosien shared that several people have voiced their interest in representing the southeast ward of the city, which also served as cause for an election. The council discussed the possibility of holding this election in conjunction with the county’s election to fill the district 3 board of supervisors seat, though the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office stipulates that polls close for city elections at 8 p.m. and at 9 p.m. for county elections. The soonest the county can ho
An annual tradition in the city of Washington continues next week, with some changes because of COVID-19.
The Washington Firefighter’s Pancake Day is taking place from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 13th, but this year the meal will be served exclusively through a drive up on East Jefferson Street. Fire Chief Brendan DeLong shares how the pandemic affected the planning of the department’s biggest annual fundraiser, “We really talked it over on our fire department whether we were going to have or whether we were not going to have it, and we kinda looked at what surrounding departments were doing for their fundraisers and thought that we could safely do a takeout only option or a drive through.”