Two Children Killed In A St. Louis County Fire

A very unfortunate event occurred early Monday morning in St. Louis County.

A fire broke out at around 4:30 am Monday morning at a home in Berkeley, a small Missouri town occupied by approximately 9,000 people. Police and fire crews responded to the emergency call at 8200 block of Airport Rd. at around 5:30 am where they witnessed a small-frame home engulfed in flames.

Three children and their parents were home at the time of the fire. Two of the children were young boys, estimated to be between the ages of two and five, and both were killed when they were not able to escape due to the deadbolt lock on the front door.

“Most homes in this area have deadbolts on both doors,” police Major Art Jackson said. It is unknown if the deadbolt was too hard for the children to turn, or if it was too hot for them to touch. It is also unknown if they died instantly from smoke inhalation, or if they were killed by the heat of the flames.

The mother and father were able to escape through the bedroom window with their 18-month-old daughter. They all suffered injuries. However, the father’s injuries were the most severe because he went back in to try and save his two sons. Sadly, he was not able to get to them, and they were found dead inside the home.

The mother, father, and infant were taken to a local hospital to be treated for burns and smoke inhalation. The baby was said to have been doing well, but there is no information on their current conditions at this time.

While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Fire Chief Henry Williams has said that he believes that a space heater contributed to the blaze. “I would say that [use of space heaters] was probably one of the contributing factors,” Williams said. Police revealed that several space heaters were found inside the home.

When neighbors noticed the flames, they immediately notified the police. “I looked out and saw the fire and yelled to my husband to call 911,” Lueverne Shotwell told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Oh my, there were babies inside.”

According to police, the fire was so intense that it gutted the house, and even melted the siding on the home next door.

The names of the two boys have not yet been released to protect their identities as minors.

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