2 weeks Ago By Thomas Geyer - Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa (TNS)
Augustana College seniors Kade Ariano and Mike Hamilton were throwing the football Friday afternoon when they saw white smoke coming from a nearby home in the 2900 block of 8 1/2 Avenue in Rock Island. The white smoke suddenly turned black, they said, and the flames were shooting from the home. Rock Island fire A fire severely damaged this Rock Island home in the 2900 block of 8 1/2 Avenue on Friday.
The cause of the blaze remained under investigation Friday. "We sprinted up and the flames were already above the house because of the wind," Hamilton said. Ariano, who grew up in Geneseo, started kicking the door.
With a helpful kick from Hamilton, they got the front door open so they could yell for anyone inside to get out. The floor of the home was already on fire, the two said. A dog ran out but there was no one home.
The home was filled with smoke, Hamilton said, "and there was no way we could go inside." Ariano went around back to jump the metal fence, but it was too hot to grab onto, he said. "I don't know what the sound was, but it sounded like it was roaring, like it was gas or something," Hamilton said.
"It was terrifying to hear a fire that loud and that strong." Firefighters were on the scene quickly, they said. Rock Island fire A railroad tie continues to burn outside of a Rock Island home in the 2900 block of 8 1/2 Avenue that was severely damaged by fire on Friday.
Rock Island Deputy Fire Chief Greg Marty said the fire was reported at 3:27 p.m. Fire Marshal Jon Briggs geared up to go inside the two-story structure to investigate the cause of the fire at about 4:30 p.
m. Ariano and Hamilton, both 21, were both involved with the Augie men's basketball program — Hamilton as a three-year starter and Ariano as a student manager. They just wrapped up their final season with the team.
Rock Island fire A fire severely damaged this Rock Island home in the 2900 block of 8 1/2 Avenue on Friday. The cause of the blaze remained under investigation Friday. ------------ Woman reunited with cat presumed lost in Palisades Fire It appears the tall tale that all cats have nine lives may be true for a California Maine coon named Aggie.
The beloved feline was feared dead for two months after the Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles left her family's home in ashes. © 2025 Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa. Visit www.
qctimes.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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