An Iowa mother has been charged after she allegedly left her two young children unattended before a huge blaze that erupted at their apartment last month.
Firefighters responded to the North Liberty building on Nov. 11 at around 4:30 a.m. after one of the children started a fire at the second-floor apartment.
Investigators believe the child started the fire near a basket of clothes leading the flames to spread, eventually forcing the evacuation of the entire building and the hospitalization of two residents.
The children, aged 3 and 5, were also hospitalized but were not seriously harmed in the incident.
Their 29-year-old mother, Brittany Airhart, was not home at the time of the blaze.
She reportedly told detectives that she believed a babysitter was on their way to the apartment before she left.
She was charged with neglect or abandonment of a dependent person and is facing up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.
