LA PORTE CITY

A fire at a suspected methamphetamine lab near here Sunday night has ended in the arrests of two alleged drug cooks.

Tadd Gagnon, 39, and Ronald Galle Jr., 35, were allegedly making methamphetamine in an outbuilding at 6324 E. Tama Road when a kerosene lantern caught fire at about 9 p.m., according to officials with the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office.

"They were in the act of making it," said Tony Thompson, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

The building was located on property owned by Gagnon's parents, who were out of the state on vacation. The fire destroyed the outbuilding and then spread to the adjacent farmhouse, authorities said.

Both the outbuilding and the house were total losses, Thompson said.

Gagnon, of 224 E. Lake St., Cedar Falls, was arrested at his home for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, deputies said.

Authorities arrested Galle, of 120 Stewart St., Waterloo, at the Waterloo Holiday Inn for conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine and possession of marijuana, according to deputies.

Bond for each was set at $65,000 during an initial court appearance this morning.

Three other people were arrested at the hotel. Kenneth Aiello, 30, of 222 Blowers Ave., Waterloo, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana. A Waverly woman was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, and a Waterloo man was arrested for a parole violation.

Firefighters from La Porte City, Hudson and Gilbertville were called to the blaze, but they backed off and took a defensive position when they discovered there was a methamphetamine lab in the outbuilding, one firefighter said.

Emergency crews were unable to enter the farmhouse because it was locked, Thompson said.

Two members of Waterloo Fire Rescue's Hazardous Materials Team were sent to the home to offer technical assistance Sunday night, and agents with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force were also called to investigate.

The Iowa Division of Narcotic Enforcement and La Porte City Police Department also helped with the investigation.