Ames Fire Responds To Apartment Fire

Press release from the City of Ames:

December 10, 2020

Ames firefighters responded to an apartment fire late Wednesday afternoon located at 218 S. Dakota Ave. At 4:07 p.m., firefighters arrived on scene to flames and smoke coming from the two-unit apartment.

Second-story residents were home at the time of the fire and had to escape through a second-story window onto a nearby garage with some assistance from a passerby, who notified the residents of the fire and helped them by using a neighbor’s ladder. The stairs to the second-story apartment were burned through, which limited access in and out of the apartment to only second-story windows.

The fire was quickly extinguished by fire crews, who remained on scene for several hours checking for hot spots and recovering personal items for residents. The northbound lanes of South Dakota Avenue were blocked during the fire, and Ames Police assisted with rerouting traffic.

One of the upstairs occupants sustained minor injuries and was treated on scene by Mary Greeley Medical Center paramedics. The fire appears to have started on the outside of the structure but remains under investigation. The fire does not appear suspicious. Damage to the structure is estimated at $75,000.

The Ames Fire Department reminds Ames residents to always know two ways out of any structure. Residents are encouraged to practice “exit drills in the home” (EDITH) with their family members on a regular basis.

This press release was produced by the City of Ames. The views expressed here are the author’s own.