NEWS

Passersby save residents from fire

Kim Norvell
knorvell@dmreg.com
A duplex in Clive sustained extensive damage from a fire started by improperly discarded smoking materials.

Three Clive residents were saved Thursday by two passersby who broke down their door and alerted them of a fire in their home.

Bret Perry of Adel said he was on his way to work at the U.S. Army Recruiting Office in Urbandale when he noticed a big plume of smoke in the area. The 36-year-old former U.S. sniper said he knew the smoke wasn't from a grass fire, so he went to investigate.

When he didn't see firefighters on scene, he decided to knock down the door.

"I crashed in the door – I basically rammed the door with my shoulder," Perry said. "I got inside and started searching all the rooms."

He said the fire, which started on the back deck, had spread inside and burned a hole through the roof. The smoke was thick, but he was able to find two residents who were sleeping on the top floor. Another passerby, who Perry said he doesn't know, followed him in and woke up the resident who lived on the bottom floor of the duplex.

"I was surprised there weren’t firefighters there already," he said. "It was burning fast. The whole house was completely smoke filled.”

Chief Rick Roe of the Clive Fire Department said they were dispatched to the fire at 9104 Summit Drive at 8 a.m. by one of the men. He credited Perry and the second passerby for saving the three residents' lives, as fires that start on the exterior can be difficult to detect.

“Whoever the neighbors were that notified the occupants, they deserve some kudos for alerting them to a fire that they didn’t notice was going on," Roe said. "In this scenario it’s really important because when you get a fire that's on the outside of the building, generally the fire will go unnoticed" because there's no smoke detectors on the outside of the home.

An investigation revealed the fire started from improperly discarded smoking materials on the back deck. He estimates about $30,000 in damage to the home.