An Iowa lady has been jailed for allegedly leaving her two small children home alone in an apartment that later caught fire.
On November 11, at approximately 4:30 a.m., the North Liberty Fire Department responded to an apartment fire on Rachel Street. The fire sent two people to a local hospital, but no one else was hurt. It was later discovered that two children, aged three and five, were alone in the second-floor apartment where the fire started.
After an inquiry, their mother, Brittany Airhart, 29, was arrested and charged with maltreatment.
KCRG, a local ABC station, said that officials said the fire originated in the apartment where the two youngsters were left alone. Apparently, one of the youngsters lit a fire in the fireplace while there was a basket of clothes nearby, allowing the fire to spread. The fire spread to the point where the entire building had to be evacuated, although building sprinklers had extinguished much of the inferno by the time firefighters arrived.
Firefighters discovered the youngsters in their apartment’s bedroom and saved them all alive, along with their dog. The children were also taken to the hospital, but were not injured.
When Airhart was questioned, she reportedly told police that she thought a babysitter would come to her house to pick up the children soon after she left. She also admitted to never following up with the babysitter to ensure they were on their way.
Airhart was charged with negligence or abandonment of a dependent person, which carries up to ten years in prison.