Elderly man hospitalized after Iowa house fire
December 23rd, 2012 by Ric Hanson
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A 90-year-old man is in intensive care after an early-morning fire at his Council Bluffs home. KETV-TV in Omaha reports that the fire began around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Investigators say a smoke detector saved the lives of the elderly man and his daughter. Fire crews found the man in his bedroom. The fire had not spread to that part of the house, but the man suffered critical third-degree burns and smoke inhalation.
Investigators say the man’s daughter, also living in the home, told firefighters that she tried to reach her father but couldn’t because the staircase was on fire. She called 911 and crawled out a basement window.