3 die, one badly injured in Davenport house fire

DAVENPORT — Three people are dead, two were rescued and a sixth person was airlifted to University of Iowa Health Care after an early morning fire Monday in Davenport.

The Davenport Fire Department responded to a home in the 1300 block of W. Eighth Street about 3:15 a.m. for a report of a structure fire. Scott County dispatchers advised multiple 911 calls reported smoke and heavy fire coming from both stories of the two-story, single family dwelling.

Dispatch advised at the time that two people were trapped in the basement and could not get out due to smoke and fire blocking the exit, a news release from the fire department said. The first arriving crews found heavy fire on the exterior of the home and stretched a hose line to extinguish the heaviest of it.

Crews transitioned to fighting the fire in the interior of the home, where additional personnel were able to breach the rear of the first floor entrance to access the basement stairs, which were engulfed, the release said. Two people were extracted from the basement and transported to the hospital for treatment. Their condition was unknown.

One of the victims told first responders there were more people on the second floor.

Fire crews continued to extinguish the fire and eventually found an unresponsive man, who was brought out of the home and transported to Genesis East before being airlifted by Med-Force to the Iowa City hospitals in critical condition.

Three additional victims with burn injuries died. The identities of the deceased were being withheld until they can be positively identified and autopsies can be performed, the news release said.

The cause of the fire still is under investigation.