3 dead in Des Moines apartment fire

Three people were killed and dozens more displaced after a fire ravaged a Des Moines apartment building Thursday. 

One person died on the scene and two died later at a hospital, said Des Moines Fire Chief John TeKippe. 

A state fire marshal's listing of fire deaths in Iowa indicates Des Moines had not had a fire kill more than one person from at least 2006 until Thursday. Older records weren't immediately available.

As of 9:30 p.m., authorities had not released the identities of the victims.

The Eddy building at 1120 Polk Blvd. on the city's west side was home to a range of residents, including 16 residents who use federal Section 8 vouchers, which are available to low-income families as well as elderly and disabled people, according to the city of Des Moines. Others residents were enrolled in a federal veterans supportive housing program.

Three other residents of the building were hospitalized with serious injuries. Two firefighters were injured: One for heat exhaustion and another for a knee injury. They are in stable condition, TeKippe said.

Residents at the apartments described seeing their friends panicking. Others said they saw resuscitation attempts and tenants on stretchers.

Earl Hill, 58, was in his third-floor apartment when he heard the fire alarm go off. Some people asked whether it was a drill.

"I started smelling rubber and it was smelling like something was burning," Hill said. "I could hear someone scream, 'I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.'"

Outside, he saw fire burst through the windows on the north side by his apartment.

Hill said he didn't dare take time to gather his belongings. He lost everything.

"With the black smoke, I would have died," Hill said. "It was really bad."

Lucille Dunlap, 57, said one of her friends was killed.

She said most of the residents are elderly or have difficulty getting around. She rushed out of her first-floor apartment without her cane.

"We had a hell of a time getting them out," Dunlap said. "I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t know who else is hurt or passed. I don’t know what everyone is going to do."

TeKippe said firefighters were still in the building Thursday evening investigating the cause of the fire.

"Anytime you have a multi-fatality fire, that’s an unusual circumstance," TeKippe said. "This is a big effort."

In a phone interview Thursday, Andrew Howard said he and Georgia Howard of California have owned the nearly 100-year-old building since 2013.

The building failed a rental inspection on July 14, 2015, according to the city. Four units were listed with issues, including windows and plumbing in poor repair and a defective electrical switch.

Fire alarm tags were also inadequate throughout the building and needed either repair or replacement, according to the city. Vermin also were reported in the building.

After the building failed rental inspection, Andrew Howard said, repairs were made. He said that the fire alarms are serviced "on a frequent basis."

The building passed another inspection on Sept. 4, 2015, and was reissued its rental certificate. The building was slated for inspection again in July, though Des Moines city staff say it's unlikely to occur because of the fire damage.

Howard said that an on-site manager that attends to the residents and the building. A building inspector is expected to survey the site on Friday.

"I'm just devastated, obviously," Howard told The Des Moines Register. "I don’t know how it happened." 

Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek told reporters that the first emergency responders to arrive saw heavy flames coming from the fourth floor at about 1 p.m.

More than 50 firefighters helped evacuate the four-story building and extinguish the blaze. Fire Capt. Mark Dooley said some firefighters rushed into the building to stop the flames and rescue occupants while others put ladders up to fourth-floor windows to help remove residents.

"They behaved very heroically," Dooley said. About 10 people were rescued from the building by firefighters, he said, while others escaped on their own. More than 60 people live in the building and are now displaced.

Among those firefighters rescued was 73-year-old Judith Anderson. Her daughter, Shannon Jeffries, said they leaned a ladder against the building and carried her mom down.

Anderson was brought to the hospital with smoke inhalation. She is in stable condition.

"They were awesome," Jeffries said. "They were very patient and skillful and even went back to get the cats."

Authorities were working Thursday evening to verify that everybody was accounted for and had temporary housing. Polk County Emergency Management officials and the American Red Cross are assisting.

The fire was extinguished shortly after 2 p.m., Dooley said.

Dooley said while the fire was most visible on the fourth floor, an investigation will be required to determine where and how it started. The fire was most intense near a single apartment. The source of the fire was on the north side, said O'Keefe, the fire department spokesman.

"We haven't had a fire this large in an apartment complex, that I can recall, in a while," Parizek said. "It's a very exhausting task for the firefighters."

Authorities were still working late Thursday to determine the extent of the damage, but the building appears stable, Dooley said.

The massive fire department response included some recent fire department recruits, who are still in the training academy but were called to the scene to help, Dooley said.