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DMPD: Apartment fire started by occupant lighting bug on fire

DMPD: Apartment fire started by occupant lighting bug on fire
NOW FSTIR AT NOON TO PEOPLE AND APARTMENT COMPLEX ON THE SOUTH OF DES MOINES ARE BUS. CLEANING UP FROM AN OVERNIGHT FIRE IT BROKE OUT AT THE GRAYSLAKE APARTMENTS ALONG FLEUR DRIVE. THE FLAMES ARE NOW OUT ANDEW N AT NOON. KCCI. SCOTT CARPENTER IS LEIV AT THE APARTMENT COMPLEX WITH THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE SCOTT. GOOD AFTERNOON. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON TC AT DES MOINES POLICE. TELL ME TTHA THIS FIRE STARTED WHEN A RESIDENT ATTEMPTEDO T KILL A BUG ON A FUTON THAT RESIDENT ATTEMPTED TO LIGHT THE BUG ON FIRE AND TN HETHE FUTON QUOTE LIT UP LIKE A TINDEROX B NOW SERVPRO WAS ON HAND CLEANING UP THE MESS INSIDE EARLY THIS MORNING NOW. EVERYBODY WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT OUT ALIVE. NONJ IURIES TO REPORT EITHER SEVEN UNITS HEAV BEEN CLEARED IN RESIDENTS STILL AREN’T ALLOWED. SIDE SO SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE STILL DISPLACED THIS AFTERNOON. ONE OF THOSE DISPLACED RESIDENTS WAS SURPRISED WHEN I TOLD HIM THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. HOSTLYNE WHEN I HEARD THAT I THOUGHT THE PERSON WAS VERY USE HIS BRAIN. I’M NOT GONNA USE INSULTS. HE DIDN'’ USE HIS BRAIN BECAUSE A NORMAL PERSOWON ULD HAVE JUST GRAB A SHIRT, YOU KNOW, AND JUST TAKE THE BUCK OR WHATEVER.D JUST NO FIRE. LIKE THIS IS WOOD INSIDE OF THE APARTMTSEN, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING CATCH FIRE AND THIS IS ALL PLACE. NOW I DIDAL TK WITH MANAGEMENT HERE AT GRAYSLAKE APARTMENTS. THEY SAID THEY CAN’T COMMENT ON THE MATRTE RIGHT NOW AS FAR AS THOSE SEVEN AS FAR AS THOSE SEVEN UNITS AND WHEN RESIDENTS CAN GET INSIDE STILL NO WORD ON THAT EITHER RED CROSS WAS OUT HERE EARLY THIS MORNING TO HELP. IS DISPLACED RESIDENTS. WE’RE LIVE AT GRAYSLAKE APARTMENTS IN DES MOI
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DMPD: Apartment fire started by occupant lighting bug on fire
Des Moines police said they may know how an apartment fire started early Monday morning.According to police, the fire started inside of an apartment at Gray's Lake Apartments on Fleur Drive when an occupant "attempted to light a bug on fire on a futon."It "lit up like a tinderbox," according to police. Several people have been displaced after the fire. Emergency crews had to block off part of that main road while they battled the flames.Shelby Spieker was allowed to go back up to her apartment around 3:30 a.m. to get some things but when she walked in, she was devastated.Ash was everywhere, her ceiling had fallen in and everything was soaked in water."It looks like a teddy bear stuffing factory exploded everywhere and then they soaked it in an Olympic sized pool. I don't know, it's so bad," Spieker said.No one was injured in the fire, but smoke filled the entire building, so even though only four apartments had any damage, they are taking extra precautions and evacuating three other units because of all the smoke that filled the building.Fleur Drive was shut down for a few hours, but emergency vehicles left around 3 a.m. and they were able to reopen the road.The fire started about midnight. That's when Spieker got the call at work that her home was on fire."The building on fire and I could not have imagined those would be the words coming out of his mouth," Spieker said. "He called me back five minutes later and he's like it's coming from your apartment and I'm like, 'what do you mean it's coming from my apartment, I haven't even been up there, what's going on.'"The Red Cross is at the scene trying to set victims up with hotel rooms and other places to stay.The fire department told KCCI there are 38 units inside the building that burned, which means dozens of people have been standing out in the cold all night. At least seven of them will be looking for a place to sleep.

Des Moines police said they may know how an apartment fire started early Monday morning.

According to police, the fire started inside of an apartment at Gray's Lake Apartments on Fleur Drive when an occupant "attempted to light a bug on fire on a futon."

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It "lit up like a tinderbox," according to police.

Several people have been displaced after the fire. Emergency crews had to block off part of that main road while they battled the flames.

Shelby Spieker was allowed to go back up to her apartment around 3:30 a.m. to get some things but when she walked in, she was devastated.

Ash was everywhere, her ceiling had fallen in and everything was soaked in water.

"It looks like a teddy bear stuffing factory exploded everywhere and then they soaked it in an Olympic sized pool. I don't know, it's so bad," Spieker said.

No one was injured in the fire, but smoke filled the entire building, so even though only four apartments had any damage, they are taking extra precautions and evacuating three other units because of all the smoke that filled the building.

Fleur Drive was shut down for a few hours, but emergency vehicles left around 3 a.m. and they were able to reopen the road.

The fire started about midnight. That's when Spieker got the call at work that her home was on fire.

"The building on fire and I could not have imagined those would be the words coming out of his mouth," Spieker said. "He called me back five minutes later and he's like it's coming from your apartment and I'm like, 'what do you mean it's coming from my apartment, I haven't even been up there, what's going on.'"

des moines apartment fire
Shelby Spieker

The Red Cross is at the scene trying to set victims up with hotel rooms and other places to stay.

The fire department told KCCI there are 38 units inside the building that burned, which means dozens of people have been standing out in the cold all night. At least seven of them will be looking for a place to sleep.