Neighbor rescues elderly woman from one of two early-morning East St. Louis house fires
An 94-year-old woman was rescued from her burning East St. Louis home by a neighbor who kicked down the door and escorted her to safety.
East St. Louis firefighters responded to the first of two overnight fires at about 2:50 a.m. to find a vacant house on the 2700 block of Belleview Drive fully engulfed in flame. A resident of the neighborhood spotted flames spreading to the home next door, where the elderly woman lived alone, East St. Louis Fire Chief Jason Blackmon said.
It took fire fighters about an hour and 30 minutes to put the fire out, Blackmon said. Fox 2 News reported East St. Louis police assisted in bringing the elderly woman to safety.
The fire department also were called to the 1400 block of North 13th Street at 5 a.m. They were still at the scene as of 8:30 a.m. putting out hot spots.
Blackmon said the two people who lived in the single-family house were able to get out safely. Firefighters also escaped injury, Blackmon said.
The city just laid off nine firefighters to offset forced payments to the pension fund.
