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MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine Joint Emergency Communication Center received a 911 call from an unknown individual at approximately 8:25 a.m. Monday (March 21) who reported there was a shooting that had just occurred at the Muscatine High School.

This same type of “swatting call” was received at several other emergency communication centers across eastern and central Iowa around the same time. A “swatting call” is a false report made to law enforcement to elicit a large response from authorities.

Members from Muscatine Police and Muscatine Fire departments along with the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Department responded to the Muscatine High School.

It was quickly determined that the 911 call had been a hoax and that there was no armed threat at the school, nor was there any threat to students or staff. The Muscatine High school and some surrounding schools were placed on a temporary lockdown while the incident was being resolved and a thorough check of the campus was being conducted.

Additional police presence remained at the high school in an effort to ease safety concerns of students and staff.

The incident remains under investigation and the Muscatine Police Department is working with outside agencies in an effort to identify those responsible. Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to contact Sgt. Jeff DeVrieze at (563) 263 – 9922, ext. 629.

Muscatine Community School District Superintendent Clint Christopher and Muscatine Police Chief Tony Kies issued a statement late this morning regarding the incident.

“Our high school was ‘swatted’ this morning,” the statement read. “That means that a fake threat was called into the Muscatine Police Department from outside of the state of Iowa. Muscatine Police responded accordingly, swept the entire building, and once they informed us that there was no credible threat, we resumed the school day.”

Similar ‘swatting’ calls happened to other school districts across the state of Iowa, and have been occurring across the country for the past several months.

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MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Muscatine Joint Communications Center (MUSCOM) received a 911 call at approximately 6:30 p.m. Monday (Jan. 16) for a possible electrical fire in a room at Addington Place, 3515 Diana Queen Drive. This is a nursing facility in Muscatine.

“All of our first responders did a great job,” Battalion Chief Ted Hillard said. “I just cannot say enough about them along with the great support we received from the Fruitland firefighters especially since we had to break off some of our crew to answer other calls.”

Upon arrival at Addington Place, fire crews found smoke in a resident’s room with smoke starting to fill up the hallway. The fire sprinkler system activated when fire crews entered the room and the fire was extinguished. The resident was checked for any injuries and the firefighters on scene ensured that the fire was completely out.

All residents were evacuated and accounted for during the fire suppression effort.

The sprinkler system for that hallway of the facility was shut down until the sprinkler company was able to respond and make needed repairs to the system. A recovery company was on scene to mitigate water damage.

The fire was contained to a heating unit and the area directly above.

Because the sprinkler system responded exactly as designed there were no injuries and the damage was limited to that one residential unit.

The on scene investigation is complete. A final cause has yet to be determined but it does appear to be an accidental fire. The initial fire loss estimate is $10,000. The resident in that room was moved to another room in the facility and was not externally displaced.

The Muscatine Police Department and Muscatine County EMA responded with the initial call. The Muscatine Fire Department was also assisted by fire crews from the Fruitland Fire Department. Approximately 20 firefighters responded to the fire. There were no injuries to any of the responders.

It was a busy evening for the fire department starting with a medical call before the response to Addington Place. Just 20 minutes after arriving at the fire scene, the Muscatine Station Two engine and firefighters were cut loose from Addington Place to a vehicle fire in the 2100 block of Hershey Avenue.

About the Muscatine Fire Department:

The Muscatine Fire Department provides fire and emergency medical services, rescues (high angle, rope, water, etc.), building inspections, and public education for the City of Muscatine, and the surrounding unincorporated areas of Muscatine County with a combined population of 43,000 across 145 square miles while also providing HAZMAT for Muscatine, Louisa, Washington, Keokuk, and Henry counties. MFD firefighters and paramedics responded to 5,027 calls in 2018. The Muscatine Fire Department began as a volunteer fire company on January 7, 1875 and was established as a full-time department in January 1916. The Muscatine Fire Department ambulance service received the 2012 Career Ambulance service of the Year Award from Iowa Emergency Medical Services.