News footage of the Nov. 11 apartment fire in North Liberty, Iowa (KCRG).
An Iowa woman has been arrested after allegedly leaving her two young children home alone in an apartment that later caught fire.
An apartment fire on Rachel Street sparked a response from the North Liberty Fire Department on Nov. 11 at approximately 4:30 a.m. Two individuals were taken to a nearby medical facility following the incident, but fortunately, there were no other reported injuries. It was discovered during investigations that two young children, aged 3 and 5, were left unattended in the second-floor apartment where the fire originated.
Following an investigation, their mother, Brittany Airhart, 29, was arrested and charged with neglect.
Local ABC affiliate KCRG detailed that authorities confirmed the fire initiated in the apartment where the two children were alone. Allegedly, one of the children ignited a fire in the fireplace with a basket of clothes nearby, which facilitated the fire’s rapid escalation. Although the fire necessitated the entire building to be evacuated, the building’s sprinkler system had largely contained the blaze by the time fire crews reached the scene.
Firefighters located the children in the bedroom of their apartment and successfully rescued both them and their pet dog, all of whom were found alive. Subsequently, the children were transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but fortunately, they sustained no injuries.
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When Airhart was questioned, she reportedly told police that she believed a babysitter was coming to her home to retrieve the children soon after she left. She also apparently admitted that she never followed up with the babysitter to confirm they were on their way.
Airhart was charged with neglect or abandonment of a dependent person, a charge that carries up to 10 years in prison.
