AMES, IOWA – A fire at an Ames, Iowa home took the life of one person.
Ames firefighters responded to a house fire just after 10 AM today at 1214 Orchard Drive where a fire took the life of one of the residents. The name of the woman is not being released pending family notification.
Ames Fire crews were dispatched for an automatic smoke alarm from a private, fire alarm monitoring company. Upon arrival at the residence, firefighters noted smoke coming from the home. The alarm was upgraded to a working structure fire. Fire crews quickly rescued the female resident from the home and extinguished the fire. She was transported by ambulance to Mary Greeley Medical Center where she later died. No one else was home at the time of the fire.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated by the State Fire Marshal and the Ames Fire Investigation Team. The fire has been ruled accidental and is believed to have started near a chair in the living room. Damage is estimated at $85,000.
Fire fatalities are rare, but having operating smoke detectors on every level of a home cuts in half the risk of dying in a home fire. “Our condolences go out to the family of this victim,” said Deputy Chief Rich Higgins. “While we arrived quickly on the scene, we had hoped for a different outcome. To keep residents safe, the Ames Fire Department encourages changing smoke detector batteries twice yearly with daylight savings and checking smoke detectors monthly.”
