DES MOINES, Iowa — A fire believed to be caused by a child playing with a lighter last Friday at the corner of 6th Avenue and Hickman Road left many folks to pick up the pieces of what's left of their home.
The Des Moines Fire Department told Local 5 crews arrived at 2010 6th Ave. around 2:10 p.m., just three minutes after the report came in on Friday.
Elijah Morgan and his wife Ray lived next door to where the fire started.
"Inside the interior is supposed to be all white and most of the ceiling is just turned to charcoal and black now," said Morgan.
He and his wife, Ray, have only lived in the apartment for 6 weeks. Their landlord gave everyone in the building just a day to pack up and leave.
Local 5 reached out to the leasing office for comment, but they did not return our calls.
The Des Moines Fire Department told Local 5 there are smoke alarms in the building. However, it's not certain if they were working at the time of the fire.
There are also no sprinklers in the building.
Fortunately, Morgan said the fire started 30 minutes after he left for work on Friday and his wife has been out of state.
“There was no way to exit out that front door because it was covered in flames," explained Morgan.
Their couple's renters' insurance was canceled one month before the fire happened.
Attorney Gary Dickey told Local 5, in this case, when a person suffers property damage they have a case against the party responsible and can seek compensation.