Babysitter, 2 kids and 4 pets escape Burlington fire

A babysitter, two kids and four pets escaped a fire in Burlington last night, according to a news release from Fire Marshal Robert Berndt.

The Burlington Fire Department was called to a residential structure fire in the 800 block of Maple Street on February 28 at about 5:19 p.m. Firefighters arrived within five minutes to find heavy smoke coming from a single-family residence. They found heavy flames when they entered the building. They were assisted by the West Burlington and Mediapolis Fire Departments, Alliant Energy and Gas and the American Red Cross.

A juvenile babysitter and two nine years old were inside at the time of the fire. The babysitter saw smoke and flames coming from the backside of the stove and the smoke detector was alerting. The three kids, two dogs and two cats safely escaped the building.

The property was not insured at the time of the fire and is considered a total loss. The fire has been ruled undetermined but is not considered suspicious. No injuries were reported.

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