A caller reported smoke in the hallways of 6010 Creston Ave. in the River Oaks Apartments, a little over a mile south of Valley Junction on the Racoon River, about 12:30 a.m. When police and firefighters arrived, a tenant directed them to a first-floor apartment that appeared to be the source of the smoke, Des Moines police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek said in a news release.
The release said the tenant had attempted to enter the apartment in search of the 65-year-old man who lived there but was driven back by the fire. It said firefighters located the man and evacuated him via a bedroom window.
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He was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. The release said firefighters also were able to rescue a pet from the apartment, which was determined to be the source of the fire.
Firefighters extinguished the fire and Polk County Emergency Management was assisting residents displaced by the damage, the release said.
It said the fire remained under investigation later Sunday.
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Polk County property records list the owner of the 30-unit, three-story building as Arlington Apartments LLC of Newport Beach, California.
Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Man in critical condition after Des Moines apartment fire