Iowa Police Rescue Five Children From Burning House

March 30--WATERLOO, Iowa -- Two Waterloo Police officers are being credited for the quick actions in getting five young children out of a burning Waterloo home Friday.

Carolyn Crowley was awakened shortly after 10 a.m. when a neighbor knocked on her door to say smoke was coming from the house at 914 Wellington St.

"I ran upstairs to see what he was talking about and the back room was filled with smoke. I just grabbed my five boys" and got out, said Crowley, who has lived at the rental house since October. By 10:30 a.m., smoke was pouring out of the attic vents.

Police, however, say they were the ones who got the children out. Officers Shawn Bram, 38, and Dustin Lindaman, 33, were the first responders at the scene. They spoke with the woman coming out of the house and learned the children were still inside.

The officers entered the burning home, checking the rooms, sometimes having to crawl on the floor because of the smoke inside the home. A couple of children were found asleep in a bed.

All of the children were able to get out of the house safely.

Waterloo Police said the officers have been nominated for the Waterloo Police Department's Medal of Valor.

Crowley and the children -- ages 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11 -- took refuge in a next door neighbor's apartment while firefighters worked to contain the fire. The last firefighters were packing up their equipment at 11:30 a.m. Crowley said officials were contacting the Red Cross to assist the family.

Demetrius Holder, who lives in an apartment next door, said a noise first alerted him to the fire. "It was a loud racket, but it sounded like it was an explosion or something blew up," he said. "I didn't see anything at first, but I smelled smoke."

A Waterloo Fire Rescue official on the scene said the fire is still under investigation. However, Crowley said she was told it was an electrical fire. "It was in the walls and shot to the attic and to the basement," she said.

Officer Bram is an 11-year veteran of the force. Lindaman is an eight-year veteran.

Previous story:

WATERLOO, Iowa -- Crews responded to a residential fire on the upper level of a structure at 914 Wellington St. Friday morning.

Courier staff at the scene saw smoke on arrival. The fire appeared to be on an upper level of the structure.

The fire was reported out shortly after 11 a.m.

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