News footage of the Nov. 11 apartment fire in North Liberty, Iowa (KCRG).
An Iowa woman has been arrested after allegedly leaving her two young children home alone in an apartment that later caught fire.
On Nov. 11 at about 4:30 a.m., the North Liberty Fire Department responded to an apartment fire on Rachel Street. The fire resulted in two people being taken to a nearby hospital, but no one else was injured. It was later revealed that two children, ages 3 and 5, were alone in the second-floor apartment where the fire originated.
Following an investigation, their mother, Brittany Airhart, 29, was arrested and charged with neglect.
KCRG, a local ABC affiliate, reported that officials said the fire started in the apartment where the two children were left alone. Apparently, one of the children started a fire in the fireplace while there was a basket of clothes nearby, which enabled the fire to spread. The fire grew to a point that the entire building was evacuated, though building sprinklers had extinguished much of the blaze by the time fire crews arrived at the scene.
The children were found by firefighters in the bedroom of their apartment, and they and their dog were all rescued alive. The children were also taken to the hospital but had no injuries.
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When Airhart was questioned, she reportedly told police that she believed a babysitter was coming to her home to retrieve the children soon after she left. She also apparently admitted that she never followed up with the babysitter to confirm they were on their way.
Airhart was charged with neglect or abandonment of a dependent person, a charge that carries up to 10 years in prison.
