Police And Fire Personnel Rescue Occupants From Apartment Fire
On Thursday, September 11, 2008 around 8:00 a.m., Waterloo Police Officers Ritchie Hesse, Joseph Saunders and Randy Girsch spotted smoke and flames coming from an apartment at 1293 Downing Court in Waterloo. Officers called for Waterloo Fire Rescue to respond to the scene and then went to the apartment building where they found a female, holding an infant in her arms, leaning out of a second floor window to the apartment. Officers then noticed another young child standing next to the female.The female, later identified as Collette Marquand, age 33, of 1293 Downing Court, was holding her one-month old daughter, Megann Knotts. Due to the smoke and heat from the fire, Marquand dropped the infant from the second floor window into the waiting arms of Officer Hesse.
Waterloo Fire Rescue arrived on scene and placed a ladder to the second floor window and rescued Marquand and the other child who was identified as Marquand’s six-year-old son, Tyler Barthelmes. During this rescue, additional Fire Rescue personnel extinguished the fire on the first floor.
Waterloo Fire Rescue Paramedics transported Marquand and her children to Allen Memorial Hospital where they were treated for smoke inhalation and released.
Waterloo Fire Rescue determined that the fire started in the apartment’s first floor living room area and that Marquand’s six-year-old son, whom was playing with a cigarette lighter, started the fire.
Captain John Beckman
Waterloo Police Department
319-291-4383
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