Woman injured in early-morning Swansea apartment fire
A woman was severely burned when fire broke out in her apartment early Monday.
Swansea Fire Chief Chris Tell said the fire department received the call about the fire on the 1800 block of Garden Steet at 2:13 a.m.
“When fire units arrived on scene they found the female occupant. She rescued herself from a second floor apartment,” Tell said.
The victim, whose identity is not being released, suffered extensive burns on her upper extremities, Tell said. She was taken to the burn unit at St. John’s Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, he said.
There are two apartments in the building. The upstairs apartment has extensive heat and smoke damage. The bottom floor had minimal damage from water.
Tell said the fire started in the bedroom of the upstairs apartment, but the cause remains undetermined.
Tell said investigators haven’t been able to interview the woman due to the severity of her injuries.
It took fire crews about 10 minutes to get the fire under control, Tell said.
The Illinois State Fire Marshall’s office is assisting the investigation.
Northwest Fire Protection District assisted and East Side Fire Protection District was on standby, Tell said.
The Swansea Fire Department posted a statement on its Facebook page: “We ask that you keep the injured female in your thoughts and prayers as she will have an extensive recovery. We also ask that you make sure that you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your residence. “
This story was originally published June 8, 2020 at 1:04 PM.
