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Amazon Driver Spots House Fire While Delivering, Calls 911 and Helps Save Home

11:22 PM, 12/02/2025
Amazon Driver Spots House Fire While Delivering, Calls 911 and Helps Save Home

Ciara Aschan, an Amazon Flex driver, noticed smoke and flames coming from a Des Moines house on Nov. 10 and immediately called 911. She checked doors and alerted neighbors because a car in the driveway suggested someone might be home. Firefighters arrived in about six minutes and credited her quick action with limiting the damage to the upper floor. The house was unoccupied and the blaze was deemed unintentional; both the homeowners and Amazon expressed gratitude.

Ciara Aschan, 27, was making an Amazon delivery in Des Moines, Iowa, on Nov. 10 when she noticed smoke and flames coming from the rear of a nearby home in the 6900 block of Southwest 15th Street.

Aschan pulled over, turned on her hazard lights and called 911. Concerned by a car in the driveway — which she took to mean someone might be inside — she ran to the front door and banged to get the homeowner's attention. When no one answered, she checked the back of the house and found an unlocked door. She called out but received no response and noted the interior looked somewhat vacant.

Quick action limited the damage

Fire crews arrived in approximately six minutes after Aschan's call. Des Moines Fire Department member Mike Morgan credited her prompt report with enabling a rapid response that contained the blaze and limited damage primarily to the home's upper floor. Officials later determined the fire was unintentional and confirmed the house was unoccupied when the fire started.

After checking that no one was inside and alerting responders, Aschan completed the delivery by leaving the package at a nearby address. She later received a message from a woman who said the house' owners had been renovating it for family use and were grateful nobody was hurt.

"I was kind of squinting while I'm driving, and then I saw the smoke...then I could definitely see the flames in the back of the house. That's when I said, 'Oh crap, the house is on fire,'" Aschan recalled.

Amazon acknowledged Aschan's actions, thanking her for her quick thinking and noting that her response helped minimize the extent of the damage. Local firefighters also offered public thanks for the information Aschan provided, which helped dispatch the appropriate resources quickly.

Aschan, who works with Amazon Flex, said she feels relieved the house was spared and proud that her quick response helped keep the situation from becoming worse. "Not all superheroes wear capes," she said. "They wear Amazon vests."

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