Firefighters in Des Moines spent hours battling a deadly house fire on the city’s south side early Wednesday morning, resulting in three fatalities and highlighting the emotional toll on first responders. The 911 call came in around 3 a.m., prompting dispatchers to send four fire stations and about two dozen firefighters to the southeast side neighborhood, where they found a house engulfed in flames.Capt. Mike Morgan of the Des Moines Fire Department said, “I was a little bit surprised of how much fire there was. And then I was also surprised about how many folks were in the house and how many were able to get out, and that we did have some folks in there still.”Morgan, who was in charge at the scene, learned that eight people lived in the house. “That was my main concern. We needed to do a search right away, but there was so much fire that the crews are going to have a tough time getting in there to look,” he said.Crews used ladders to access the burning second floor, where they began their search despite the near-impossible visibility due to flames and thick, black smoke. Special thermal cameras were employed to locate the victims, all of whom were still in their bedrooms. Tragically, three lives were lost, with two victims found upstairs and one on the first floor.”This one was a tough one,” Morgan said, noting that it had been years since the Des Moines Fire Department had dealt with such a large and deadly fire. He emphasized that despite extensive training, firefighters are not always prepared for the emotional impact of finding victims who did not survive.”We’re firefighters, but we’re also family members. We have children. We have family at home. They want us to come home. So our mental health is a top priority. We want to keep them physically fit, but we also want to keep them mentally fit. And we have to make sure everyone goes home in a good state of mind,” Morgan said.Several firefighters took advantage of counseling offered in the aftermath of the fire. The fire department hopes to determine the cause of the fire and provide more information about smoke detectors in the home by Friday. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign is still collecting donations to help the family recover.» Subscribe to KCCI’s YouTube page» Download the free KCCI app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play

DES MOINES, Iowa —

Firefighters in Des Moines spent hours battling a deadly house fire on the city’s south side early Wednesday morning, resulting in three fatalities and highlighting the emotional toll on first responders. The 911 call came in around 3 a.m., prompting dispatchers to send four fire stations and about two dozen firefighters to the southeast side neighborhood, where they found a house engulfed in flames.

Capt. Mike Morgan of the Des Moines Fire Department said, “I was a little bit surprised of how much fire there was. And then I was also surprised about how many folks were in the house and how many were able to get out, and that we did have some folks in there still.”

Morgan, who was in charge at the scene, learned that eight people lived in the house. “That was my main concern. We needed to do a search right away, but there was so much fire that the crews are going to have a tough time getting in there to look,” he said.

Crews used ladders to access the burning second floor, where they began their search despite the near-impossible visibility due to flames and thick, black smoke. Special thermal cameras were employed to locate the victims, all of whom were still in their bedrooms. Tragically, three lives were lost, with two victims found upstairs and one on the first floor.

“This one was a tough one,” Morgan said, noting that it had been years since the Des Moines Fire Department had dealt with such a large and deadly fire. He emphasized that despite extensive training, firefighters are not always prepared for the emotional impact of finding victims who did not survive.

“We’re firefighters, but we’re also family members. We have children. We have family at home. They want us to come home. So our mental health is a top priority. We want to keep them physically fit, but we also want to keep them mentally fit. And we have to make sure everyone goes home in a good state of mind,” Morgan said.

Several firefighters took advantage of counseling offered in the aftermath of the fire. The fire department hopes to determine the cause of the fire and provide more information about smoke detectors in the home by Friday. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign is still collecting donations to help the family recover.

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