One dead after Friday apartment fire

CEDAR RAPIDS - A woman rescued Friday from a burning apartment has died from her injuries.

Police said Sharon T. Garnett, 43, died Saturday afternoon at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

Firefighters first were called to the blaze at Gateway Apartments, 3021 Sixth St. SW, around 2:40 p.m. Friday, public safety officials said.

Upon entering the apartment unit, firefighters quickly extinguished a fire on the first floor in the kitchen area, officials said.

During a search of the apartment, firefighters found Garnett in a bedroom on the unit's second floor.

Officials said her ability to escape had been complicated by a medical condition. When firefighters found her, they said she was suffering from significant smoke inhalation.

Fire investigators determined that the fire started on the stovetop in the kitchen as a result of unattended cooking. The fire was unintentional, and there were working smoke detectors in the unit, officials said.

Garnett's death is the second fire fatality in Cedar Rapids this year. A 57-year-old man died in a fire Feb. 17 at the Shamrock Apartments, 222 Jacolyn Dr. SW.

Public safety officials said three in 10 home fires in Cedar Rapids are the result of unattended cooking. They urged residents to be mindful not to leave food on stovetops unattended.