According to a report from We Are Iowa, the Des Moines (IA) Fire Department (DMFD) responded to an apartment complex under construction that is set to house homeless youth.
A portion of the 42-unit 6th Avenue Flats is reserved for Youth and Shelter Services, which will be home to young, homeless adults who are aging out of Iowa’s foster care system.
The DMFD was dispatched to the fire after receiving a call from a passerby near 6th Avenue and Indiana Avenue at around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. DMFD crews extinguished the fire in minutes, but not before flames spread to the building’s upper floors.
Officials said no one was in the building at the time, and there were no injuries reported.
The area has been under construction for several months, and the project was expected to be completed in December.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and city officials do not yet know the cost of the damages.
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