IOWA CITY, Iowa — A lightning strike sparked a fire at an Iowa City apartment building Wednesday afternoon, displacing two dozen residents and causing an estimated $500,000 in damage, according to fire officials.
The Iowa City Fire Department responded at 12:35 p.m. to a reported structure fire at a 12-unit apartment building in the 300 block of North Van Buren Street. Initial reports indicated smoke coming from the roof of the building.
Firefighters arrived within three minutes of being dispatched and found heavy smoke coming from the eaves and flames visible through a roof vent. Crews worked to contain the blaze and brought it under control about 50 minutes after arriving on scene…