Today, at approximately 4:15 PM, the Ankeny Fire Department was dispatched to a commercial structure fire in the 1400 block of SW Twin Gates Drive in the southwest side of Ankeny. While responding, units noticed a large plume of smoke and upgraded this incident to a 2-alarm fire, bringing additional assistance from other fire departments. The Ankeny Fire Department arrived on scene to find a well-involved townhome fire, which was attached to five other townhomes. Crews immediately began to extinguish the fire and aggressively search the residence for any occupants or pets. While doing this, two firefighters received minor burns to their wrists and were transported by ambulance to a local hospital where they were treated and released.
During the incident, fire crews had to be split into several groups to extinguish fire and search for occupants in adjacent townhomes. The fire ultimately damaged four of the six townhomes in varying degrees during extinguishment and overhaul stages. Due to the extent of damage to the complex, Polk County Emergency Management was contacted to coordinate assistance for the occupants through the American Red Cross.
The Ankeny Fire Department would like to thank these agencies for their assistance: American Red Cross, Ankeny Police Department, Altoona Fire Department, Bondurant Fire Department, Johnston-Grimes Metropolitan Fire District, Mid-American Energy, Polk County Sherriff’s Office Communications Center, Saylor Township Fire Department, Urbandale Fire Department, and West Des Moines Fire Department. The cause of the fire is under investigation and no other information is available at this time.