Fire damages home in historic district

One of Newton’s fabled homes in a historic district caught fire Thursday morning at 337 E. Third St.

The home, currently owned by Todd Pomeroy, was built in 1883 by S.D. Williams.

Damage is estimated at $20,000 on the home and $5,000 to the contents.

According to Newton Fire/EMS, the fire began by accident. While a family member was using a heat gun to prepare the house to be painted, fire started. It traveled through the wall and into the attic.

“I was pleased with the efforts of our guys. They aggressively stopped the fire from traveling through the walls and stopped it in the attic,” said incident commander Mark Willis. “I really like those houses, but they are difficult to fight when a fire starts.”

No injuries were reported.

The home has been the site of a fire before — in the early 1900s. Following that fire, the current porch was constructed.

The porch became a center of social activity, with the owners having dances on the porch and front yard in 1915.