116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
2 die in Cedar Rapids fire
Retired couple found in basement of NE Cedar Rapids home
Emily Andersen
Nov. 17, 2022 4:43 pm, Updated: Nov. 17, 2022 7:22 pm
CEDAR RAPIDS — Alerted to a fire Thursday when a neighbor spotted smoke coming from the windows of a northeast Cedar Rapids home, crews pulled a retired couple from the basement onto the lawn, where they were declared dead, according to authorities and family members.
Charles Osterkamp, 72, and Sheri Osterkamp, 70, were the only occupants of the home, a city news release said.
Their son, Mark Osterkamp, said his parents had been retired for a few years. Charles Osterkamp worked at the former Midland Forge plant as a laborer. Sheri Osterkamp had been a stay-at-home mom.
Charles had been in the hospital just a few weeks before the fire with heart problems, his son said.
Firefighters were called at 12:08 p.m. to the 3800 block of Pine Tree Dr. NE after a 911 caller reported seeing smoke. When firefighters arrived, witnesses told them there were people inside the one-story structure, according to a city news release.
Crews found two people in the lower level and brought them outside, where they were declared dead.
Mark and his daughter, Cassidy Osterkamp, were at the scene of the fire Thursday night. They live nearby and were alerted about the fire when police came to their house.
Cassidy Osterkamp said she spotted police walking up to the door of her house and knew they had bad news. After she and Mark Osterkamp were notified about the deaths, they went to the scene. The house was still smoking when they arrived.
Jason Osterkamp, another son of Charles and Sheri Osterkamp, died earlier this year.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
According to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the last time two people in Cedar Rapids died in the same house fire was in 2016.
In that instance, Karen and Ronald Jacobs, both 76, were killed Feb. 15, 2016, when a fire broke out in their manufactured home. No smoke detectors were found.
Twenty-five people have died previously in 2022 in structure fires in Iowa, according to State Fire Marshal data, which reports only cases after the investigation is complete. Another two died people died in outdoor fires, the office reported.
Early Wednesday, a house fire left four children dead and two people injured in Mason City.
The fire, which killed a 3-, 6-, 10- and 12-year old, was caused by an electrical power strip, authorities said Thursday.