Neighbors 'had a plan' to rescue woman from burning Cedar Rapids home

CEDAR RAPIDS — When their neighbor's house exploded in a fireball Monday afternoon, Cedar Rapids residents Brock Staley and Ken Blazek had little time to think before springing into action.

Both Staley, who has more than 15 years of firefighting experience, and Blazek, who serves on a safety committee at Rockwell Collins, credit their backgrounds for their quick decision to help pull their neighbor, 64-year-old Diane Barnes, from the burning house.

'I just fell back on the training, you do what needs to be done,' said Staley, who works in warehouse operations at ImOn Communications. 'We weren't just some Joe Blow trying to rescue somebody, we had a plan in place to get her out and that's what we did.'

The explosion — which investigators say was the result of a natural gas leak — occurred at about 6:30 p.m. Monday at 1371 20th Ave. SW. The blast blew off the north and west sides of the house and sent debris and shattered glass across the street into neighbors' yards.

In the moments after hearing the explosion, Staley said he grabbed two fire extinguishers from his garage while Blazek — armed with a wrench — ran to the south side of the building and shut off the gas feeding the rapidly growing blaze.

'I said, 'Well, I've definitely got to get the gas off,' ' Blazek recalled. 'That's what I thought right away. 'I know that's where it's coming from so I'm going to shut that baby off.' '

As soon as the gas was off, Staley said he entered the house through the exposed west side to knock down the flames and pull Barnes, who Staley said was responsive, but badly burned, from the home.

The plan was unspoken, both men recalled. They just did what needed to be done.

By the time local firefighters arrived on the scene, Barnes had been removed from the house and moved across the street. She was transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with severe burns, police said.

Hospital officials could not be reached Wednesday for an update on her condition.

In addition to Staley and Blazek, several neighbors called emergency responders after the explosion, another directed responding firefighters to the nearest hydrant and Blazek's wife Linda helped spread word of the incident.

'I couldn't believe all the people who were here so quick. Everyone wanted to give, everyone wanted to help,' Staley said.

Public safety spokesman Greg Buelow credited the quick reaction of neighbors during the incident.

'Cedar Rapids is a large community, yet it is made up of close-knit neighborhoods in which residents perform selfless acts,' he said. 'The Fire Department believes that the quick action by neighbors that resulted in the removal of the victim from a dangerous environment provided the victim with an opportunity for recovery. There was an ensuing fire after the natural gas explosion and the victim would have been further exposed to life-threatening conditions.'

The house was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters on the scene. Aid was provided to the occupant and crews were able to put out the fire.

Buelow said Wednesday the explosion was the result of a natural gas leak in the house and the circumstances surrounding the leak remain under investigation.

Buelow said he can only recall a handful of house explosions as a result of gas leaks in the last 10 years.

'I think that's kind of the important thing to note. The instance of natural gas explosions are fairly rare,' Buelow said Tuesday.

Staley, who spent time on the Hudson Fire Department, the Marion Fire Department and with the Fire Service Training Bureau in Ames, has seen his share of fires and explosions, but Monday's was one of the worst.

'Every scenario that I've been to was different, you never have the same outcome,' Staley said. 'Monday, I'd rate that as a 10.'