FORT DODGE – The cause of a fire at a Fort Dodge rental house that took the lives of a young mother and two children has been declared undetermined.
An emergency 911 was received by Fort Dodge fire and police at about 12:46 PM Sunday, February 22. Fire units arrived at 703 4th Avenue North about 2-3 minutes later.
At the scene, the structure was fully engulfed, according to Fort Dodge authorities. The fire spread rapidly due to strong winds and combustible siding on the house. Eight fire fighters were at the scene initially, and 14 more arrived immediately thereafter.
Seven people were inside the home at the time of the fire, and four of them were able to escape; they were hospitalized in Fort Dodge. No information on the condition of the 4 injured victims was available at this time. However, three people remained inside and did not survive the blaze. The severity of the fire prevented Fort Dodge fire fighters from entering the structure, and the only after the fire could be extinguished from the outside could the house be entered.
Three victims were found inside a second floor room once fire fighters were able to get inside the house. The Webster county medical examiner removed all three persons, now identified as 25-year-old Amy Devlin; 5-year-old Joseph Kennedy; and 6-month-old Bryce Devlin (Amy Devlin’s son).
The Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) State Fire Marshal Division (SFM) has determined the cause of the fatal house fire in Fort Dodge on February 22, 2015, to be undetermined.
