ANKENY – An Iowa garage explosion this weekend activated a good samaritan neighbor who valiantly braved what could only be extreme heat and flames to pull a badly-burned person from an inferno.
Saturday, August 10, 2024, at approximately 2:20 PM, the Ankeny Fire Department was dispatched to a house on fire in the 2300 block of NW 71st Place on the southwest side of Ankeny. The neighbor, who made the call to 911, indicated he felt an explosion and witnessed fire and smoke from the garage of this address. The neighbor was able to pull an adult from the garage after calling 911. The Ankeny Fire Department arrived on scene in just a few minutes and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the garage of this residence. Crews immediately began to extinguish the fire and treat the adult male who received extensive burns throughout his body. A medical helicopter was requested to the scene and the patient was flown directly to the University of Iowa’s Burn Unit.
Due to the extensive fire found upon arrival, the fire was upgraded to a second alarm which brought multiple agencies to assist with the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Authorities offered no updates on the condition of the adult that was transported by helicopter with life-threatening injuries.
The Ankeny Fire Department thanked these agencies for their assistance: Altoona Fire Department, Bondurant Fire Department, Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire District, MercyOne Air Medical Helicopter, Polk City Fire Department, Polk County Dispatch, and the Polk County Sherriff’s Office.
