Woman escapes metro-east house fire with twin 1-year-old grandchildren
A grandmother watching 1-year-old twins was able to escape a house fire Wednesday with her two grandchildren, the Signal Hill Fire chief said.
“She absolutely had an impact on the outcome of that fire,” Fire Chief Tom Elliff said. “Grandma did an amazing job.”
The resident was able to call 911, get a child in each arm and get outside of the home at 212 Dorchester Drive near west Belleville, Elliff said. She noticed the smoke before the home’s smoke detector went off.
The family’s four dogs either got out on their own or were rescued by firefighters.
Firefighters believe the house fire started on the rear deck by an improperly discarded cigarette, the chief said.
“If you use smoking materials, make sure you dispose of them properly,” Elliff wrote in a news release. “Don’t leave materials on a deck, next to the house, or other places that could cause a fire to spread to your house.”
The fire was reported at 11:01 a.m. Wednesday and the first truck arrived at 11:04 a.m.
Elliff said the home sustained “moderate” damage. The fire was contained to the rear deck and a rear addition to the house while other parts of the house have smoke and heat damage.
“The structure itself is salvageable,” he said.
The homeowners have insurance for the house but several repairs would have to be made before they could live there again, Elliff said.
Firefighters from the Northwest, Belleville and Villa Hills fire departments assisted Signal Hill on the scene and Freeburg provided backup service at the Signal Hill station.
This story was originally published January 23, 2025 at 1:11 PM.
