Fire destroys home in Austin on Friday

Dec. 7—AUSTIN — A 911 call led Mower County dispatchers to believe there was a fire at a residence Friday.

Dispatch received a call from a landline at a residence in the 1000 block of Third Avenue Northeast in Austin Friday. While no one was on the call, what sounded like a fire alarm could be heard in the background, Capt. Todd A. Clennon of the Austin Police Department said in a statement.

Officers observed heavy smoke while approaching the address and when they arrived at the residence they saw flames coming from the windows, Clennon said. They then advised dispatch, which called for the Austin Fire Department to respond. The house, officers reported, was fully engulfed in flames.

While checking the immediate surroundings, offers did not immediately locate anyone. Eventually, a woman approached the officer and said she was the daughter-in-law of the owner of the home. She advised officers no one was inside the residence, and in fact had relocated to her own nearby home, Clennon said.

While officers conducted their search, crews from the Austin Fire Department arrived and put out the fire, Clennon said.

One witness said the fire might have been started by a discarded piece of tissue used to light a cigarette, Clennon said.