How Aluminum Shielding May Have Saved One West Des Moines Woman's Life

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Emergency responders believe protective aluminum shielding on a West Des Moines woman’s apartment door and door jamb of an apartment likely stopped the spread of a fire that appeared to have been deliberately set.

The first-degree arson investigation was turned over to Greg Siembieda, a fire investigator for the West Des Moines Fire Department, and to detectives with the West Des Moines Police Department.

Police Officer Dan Wade was dispatched to the apartment complex in the 8600 block of Westown Parkway about 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 4.

A 23-year-old woman sharing an apartment with another female said she was alone at her residence about midnight Monday morning when she awoke to the smell of smoke, but dismissed it as smoke from a neighbor’s grill. She went back to sleep and didn’t notice anything amiss until about 9 a.m. Sunday.

That’s when she tried to open the door, and found that it was stuck. When she was finally able to open the door, she discovered a charred floor mat in front of the door, according to Wade’s report. Also charred were the threshold, the lower portion of the door jamb and the front of the door.

“It appeared as though the aluminum shielding on the threshold and metal shielding on the jamb prevented the fire from causing structural damage,” Wade wrote, “but I was unable to determine that definitively.”

The apartment is on the second floor of the building and access is gained via an open air stairway.  It did not appear the fire entered the living area of the apartment, according to the report.

There didn’t appear to be any other damage in the apartment complex related to the fire at the woman’s unit, Wade wrote.

Damage was estimated at around $500.