ROMAYOR, October 18, 2009 - It was near 5:00 PM on Sunday afternoon that major structure fire was reported at the ChainOLakes Resort in far north Liberty County.

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As best as could be determined 10 fire departments including, North Liberty County VFD, Tarkington, VFD, Cypress Lakes VFD, Cleveland Fire Department, Shepherd VFD, Scenic Loop VFD, Livingston Fire Department, South Polk County VFD, Onalaska VFD, Woodpecker VFD and Hardin VFD, responded to fight this fire in a large two-story structure called the lodge.

The lodge is one of the older buildings on the property and according to Assistant Fire Chief of the North Liberty County fire Department, Charlie Roberts, the lodge consisted of a large meeting room where large meetings and dances were held. Also in the structure on the ground floor was a kitchen with dormitory sleeping quarters upstairs with bunk beds.

The building is not the beautiful new hospitality building on the site that was built just a few years ago.

Photo courtesy of Amber Holguin

According to Roberts when he arrived flames were coming through the roof and a short time later the roof collapsed and fell in.

Photo courtesy of Amber Holguin

Several fire departments were needed not only for manpower to fight the blaze but to transport the large amount of the water needed as there are no fire hydrants in the area. Some fire departments are equipped with pumping equipment that could draft water from one of the nearby lakes close to the burning structure. Others traveled over five miles to the nearest source of water at the North Liberty County Fire Department.

The building was totally destroyed.

Photo courtesy of Amber Holguin

According to Assistant Chief Roberts the fire appeared to have started in the kitchen of the lodge.

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