Four-Year-Old Boy Dies In Morning Fire

Council Bluffs Home Destroyed, Family In Mourning

By Paul Gutierrez

CREATED 5:09 PM

Council Bluffs, IA - An early morning fire Saturday ends in tragedy at a Council Bluffs home near 34th and Avenue C.

"It's horrible," stated neighbor Scotty Crowder.

A mother and two children inside the home were able to escape shortly after 6 A.M., but another child was stuck inside.  The owner of the home, Larry Bracht, did all he could to rescue the little boy, but the flames were just too intense.

"I was thinking I could get upstairs, but then I realized it was a bad idea."

"The mom was obviously frantic," added Crowder.

Frantic because four-year-old Leland Johnson who had just celebrated his birthday could not escape the flames from his upstairs bedroom.

"I told 911 to hurry up and then I came inside my home to get all of my kids and that's when the police showed up," recalled Crowder.

Johnson was rushed to Mercy Hospital where he later died.  It's still not clear if the home was equipped with fire detectors.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.