Charles City man dies after apartment fire

Charles City man dies after apartment fire

Funeral visitation is Thursday for a ‘very gentle soul’

A Charles City man whose sister describes him as a gentle and likeable man died after a fire broke out in his apartment early Tuesday. Steven Roy Sadler, 61, will be laid to rest in a private ceremony on Friday, but a visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Thursday at Hauser Funeral Home. “He had a very gentle soul,” Terri Franzen of Charles City said. “He was a very likeable guy.” The Charles City Fire Department responded to a report of smoke alarms sounding with smoke in the hallways of the apartment complex at 2102 Clarkview Drive in Charles City at 4:19 a.m. Tuesday. Initial fire units arrived on scene at 4:22 a.m, according to a fire department news release.

Encountering smoke in the hallways, firefighters discovered the source was Sadler’s ground floor apartment. They extinguished the flames quickly, according to the news release. Firefighters found Sadler in the apartment and he was sent by ambulance to the Floyd County Medical Center. He died at the hospital, according to his obituary.

Sadler No other injuries were reported at the scene.

All 12 of the apartments in the complex were temporarily evacuated, Fire Chief Eric Whipple said.

Minor to moderate fire damage was noted inside the apartment, with moderate smoke and heat damage, and minor water damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, as the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s office has been called to assist. There is no indication of foul play in the fire.

Sadler was born May 21, 1954, in Charles City to Eldon and Sharon (Reetz) Sadler. He attended school in Charles City and was stationed in Germany when served in the U.S. Army.

He moved to be near family in Chicago after he was discharged, said Franzen. It was where “grandparents and everybody” was living at the time, including her, she said. He returned to Charles City when Franzen did as well in the mid-1980s.

Sadler was a craftsman who specialized in painting the ceilings of cathedral-style roofs as well as roofing them, she said.

He also enjoyed leatherwork, such as making chaps and motorcycle bags, she said. Family members remember how he made leather vests for the family’s newborn members.

He spent much of his life working at painting and roofing cathedrals, according to his obituary. He is survived by a daughter, Tiffany Leigh Lardino of Tennessee and granddaughter, Karenlynn, as well as a sister, Terri Franzen of Charles City, and brother, Douglas Sadler. Read his full obituary here.

Twenty-six fire fatalities have been reported across Iowa so far this year. This is the only one in Floyd County.

The cause of death in 17 of the 25 fatalities prior to Tuesday morning’s Charles City death was smoke or poisonous gas inhalation, according to the Iowa Fire Marshal’s website. Working smoke detectors were confirmed in eight of the fires.

There were 42 fire fatalities in Iowa in 2014, 26 in 2013, 42 in 2012, 46 in 2011, 33 in 2010, 46 in 2009, 49 in 2008, 30 in 2007 and 33 in 2006, according to the Iowa Fire Marshal’s website.

The last fatal home fire in Charles City was more than a year ago and also at an apartment complex.

On March 31, 2014. Josh Nelson Linde, 27, died after being trapped in his secondfl oor apartment by a fire that began on the first floor.

A smoking foundation down the street from Sadler’s apartment complex was from a practice burn conducted Monday by the Charles City Fire Department.

By Chris Baldus cbaldus@charlescitypress.com