Centreville mother dies in house fire
A 63-year old Centreville woman died when her house caught fire early Tuesday morning.
St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. identified the woman as Sarah J. Wynn of 5405 Church Rd. She was pronounced dead at Touchette Regional Hospital at 10:23 a.m., Dye said.
Centreville Detective DeMarius Thomas said members of the police department have known Wynn a long time and are saddened by her death.
She was “a mother, a grandmother, an aunt, friend ... everything. She will be missed by many,” Thomas said. “It’s such a tragedy. Our hearts go out to her family and many friends.”
Centreville police were dispatched to Wynn’s Church Road residence at 9:33 a.m., according to police.
“We were dispatched there after receiving a report of a structure fire with someone trapped inside,” Thomas said. “Multiple fire agencies and police departments responded to the residence to try ti get the victim out. There was too much smoke coming from the structure for first responders to enter the residence when they arrived.”
It wasn’t until after the blaze was extinguished that fire fighters from Church Road and Alorton fire departments were able to bring Wynn out of the house. Wynn, who was the only one home at the time of the fire, was located on the main level of the the home.
“Unfortunately she did not survive,” Thomas said.
Camp Jackson Assistant Fire Chief Sharon Davis said it took fire crews about 45 minutes to get the fire under control. It started in a bedroom and is being ruled accidental, she said.
Cahokia and Prairie DuPont fire departments also responded to provide mutual aid.
This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 6:37 PM.
