Two killed, two escaped from early-morning fire in metro-east

Two people lost their lives in an early-morning.in a fire in the 500 block of North 13th Street in East St. Louis Monday.

Two others managed to escape the blaze without serious injury.

Authorities have not yet identified those inside the home.

Assistant Fire Chief Ed Wayne said the East St. Louis Fire Department received the call reporting the fire at 5 a.m.

“When we arrived the structure was already badly burned,” he said. “Flames were shooting through the roof on the front side.”

Assistant Fire Chief Lamont Jones, who took over from Wayne in a shift change, said the structure appeared to be a boarding house.

“There were four residents inside. Two of them got out,” Jones said. “Two bodies were recovered from the second floor of the two-story building.”

Firefighters were on scene until 7 a.m. Wayne said.

Wayne said the East St Louis Fire Department is grateful for the assistance provided by the St. Clair County Tactical Rescue Team.

This story was originally published January 22, 2024 at 3:12 PM.