Ankeny Fire Department Battles Apartment Fire

Press release from the City of Ankeny:

April 23, 2020

ANKENY, IOWA (April 23, 2020) – At 4:45 p.m. on April 22, 2020, the Ankeny Fire Department was dispatched to an apartment fire at 417 NE Trilein Drive.

First arriving crews encountered heavy smoke coming from a third floor window of the apartment building. Firefighters began an interior search to locate possible residents and the seat of the fire. The entire third floor of the building was filled with dense smoke making search difficult. Crews located a resident on the third floor in the unit that was on fire and removed this person from the building. The resident was not breathing and crews immediately began CPR. The resident was transported by ambulance to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Unfortunately, the resident later died. No additional information will be released pending notification of family.

The fire was extinguished within 15 minutes of arrival. It caused significant damage to the unit and smoke damage throughout the third floor but was contained to that area. The Ankeny Fire and Police departments are currently investigating the cause of the fire which at this time remains undetermined.

The Ankeny Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Polk City, Altoona, Johnston Grimes, and Bondurant fire departments, as well as Mercy Ambulance. With the help of Polk County Emergency Management, displaced residents were assisted by the Red Cross.

The Ankeny Fire Department would like to remind residents to check smoke detector batteries in their homes.

All media inquiries should be directed to DC Rob Chiappano at 515-965-6477 or rchiappano@ankenyiowa.gov.

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