Rescue in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – Tragedy early this morning in North St. Louis. A seven year old girl is dead and her six year old sister is fighting for her life after an intense house fire at a two family flat on North 21st street. Both children were rescued by firefighters but one was not able to survive.

St. Louis city fire chief Dennis Jenkerson says that investigators believe space heaters are likely to blame for the fire. Firefighters raced into the burning home to try and save the children before they even put water on the fire.

Firefighters got the call a little after five in the morning. They were on the scene in two and a half minutes. Crews were immediately met outside the home by the 29 year old mother of the girls and her 33 year old boyfriend. Those adults were inside but were able to get out. Smoke and flames prevented them from going back in after the children.
The adults told firefighters that the girls we still inside.

Even with smoke and flames pouring from the home, firefighters went in and found the girls in a second floor bedroom on a mattress after hearing screams. We`re told the girls were alive when they came out. The seven year old later died.

Police are identifying that young girl as Cadis Strong. Authorities say the six year old is in critical but stable condition. The home where this happened is a two family flat with apartments upstairs and downstairs. The fire happened in the upstairs unit.

Fire investigators say the fire started in a room behind the room that the girls were in. We`re told there were two space heaters in that room and authorities believe those space heaters may have started the fire. Investigators also say the apartment had no working smoke detectors.

The bomb and arson squad has been called in to handle the investigation though nothing criminal is suspected.

countyfiretactics

Curt Isakson is a 35 year veteran of the fire service. Curt is currently a Battalion Chief for Escambia County Fire Rescue. Previously worked 9 years with the Pensacola Fire Department where he was assigned as the Company Officer on Rescue 31. Curt’s fire service experiences started at a young age as a Junior firefighter with the Midway Fire Protection District and rose through the ranks to Captain. He has worked in volunteer, career, and combination departments.

Curt has held all ranks up to Battalion Chief and been assigned to operations, training, inspections, and was Chief of Special Operations for 7 years. Curt owns and operates County Fire Tactics that covers a very diverse range of fire service topics, as well as Firefighter Rescues, a site that documents rescues made by firefighters around the country.

He has annual contracts with numerous departments to provide standardized monthly training for these departments that respond daily together under an automatic aid agreement. Curt teaches nationally to include; FDIC, Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World, Orlando Fire Conference, Atlanta Fire Conference, Bowling Green State University, and owns/operates the annual HROC, COBC, WOTF, CFT ODP on Pensacola Beach. He is a Florida Certified Fire Officer, Instructor, Inspector, Arson, and FLUSAR.

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