Mother and 9 children escape East St. Louis house fire
A mother and her nine children escaped a fire at their East St. Louis home early this morning.
East St. Louis Fire Chief Jason Blackmon said the fire department was dispatched to North 44th and Lincoln Street around midnight.
The blaze started on a mattress in a second-floor bedroom, Blackmon said. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to that room.
“Mom woke up smelling smoke just before midnight,” he said. “She and her nine children were sleeping on the second floor at the time. They all were able to get out safely.
“It took the fire crew about an hour” to extinguish the fire.
The house was equipped with functioning smoke detectors, but the family is uninsured, Blackmon said. The family has been displaced due to heavy smoke damage in the home.
“The Red Cross was providing some assistance and the East St. Louis Housing Authority is looking for another place for them to live,” Blackmon said.
Blackmon said there is an ongoing investigation into what caused the mattress to ignite.
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 2:10 PM.
