1996: Massive fire in Walcott!

July 10, 1996: A massive fire swept through downtown Walcott, devastating an entire city block. The blaze started in the Hawkeye Building Distributor’s Lumberyard. Every emergency response unit in Scott County responded to the scene, where damages were estimated at $3 million. More than 1.5 million gallons of water were needed to put out the flames. However, city officials said the situation could have been much worse, as the Central Petroleum Company’s storage facility downtown was spared. The cause of the fire was still under investigation.