12:43 p.m. update:
A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured following a mobile home fire in the 6800 block of Heatherwood Drive in Byrnes Mill, which started about 3 a.m. this morning, Sept. 19, High Ridge Fire Chief John Barton said.
Crews from the High Ridge Fire Protection District found the teen in a closet in the home, carried him to a window and handed him over to a Byrnes Mill Police officer waiting outside. The teen was transported with severe burns to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur by ambulance.
Barton said crews first arrived at 3:12 a.m. to find the single-wide mobile home on fire with visible smoke. A total of six people were in the home, including two adults and their four children: an infant, two children under 10 years old and the 15-year-old boy.
“The parents woke up to the smoke detectors, and they were all sleeping on the opposite side of the house from the 15-year-old,” Barton said. “(The parents) went and tried to get the 15-year-old out and couldn’t get to him because of the smoke and fire. They went outside and around to the bedroom window, pulled out the window to try to get to him, and they couldn’t get in that way either.”
Barton said Byrnes Mill Police were already on the scene when the fire district arrived and directed firefighters to the likely location of the trapped teen. He said firefighters entered the home, found the teen and transported him out the window in about three minutes.
“(The firefighters) definitely faced a challenge because of the limited visibility, but our training tells us where to search, and we had an idea of where he was located,” Barton said.
The other family members refused medical treatment, he said.
The fire was determined to have originated in the teenager’s bedroom, but the fire district does not suspect foul play, according to a written statement posted on the High Ridge Fire Protection District at 12:30 p.m.
The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s office and High Ridge Fire Marshal Jason Schaub are investigating the fire.
“There is evidence the victim tried to extinguish the fire on his own,” the district stated. “The High Ridge Fire Protection District encourages all parents to regularly discuss fire safety with their children, including how quickly a fire can spread. This tragic event would also have been more devastating had it not been for the family having working smoke detectors.
“We remind residents of our fire district that those who need smoke detectors can contact our headquarters at 636-677-3371, and we will help install new detectors at no cost.”
The Eureka, Antonia, Saline Valley and Cedar Hill fire protection districts assisted, along with the Big River and North Jefferson County ambulance districts.
The fire was under control by 3:39 a.m., Barton said.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured following a mobile home fire at the 6800 block of Heatherwood Drive in Byrnes Mill, which started about 3 a.m. this morning, Sept. 19, High Ridge Fire Chief John Barton said.
Crews from the High Ridge Fire Protection District found the teen in a closet in the home, carried him to a window and handed him over to a Byrnes Mill Police officer waiting outside. The teen was transported with severe burns to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur by ambulance.
Barton said crews first arrived at 3:12 a.m. to find the single-wide mobile home on fire with visible smoke. A total of six people were in the home, including two adults and their four children: an infant, two children under 10 years old and the 15-year-old boy.
“The parents woke up to the smoke detectors, and they were all sleeping on the opposite side of the house from the 15-year-old,” Barton said. “(The parents) went and tried to get the 15-year-old out and couldn’t get to him because of the smoke and fire. They went outside and around to the bedroom window, pulled out the window to try to get to him, and they couldn’t get in that way either.”
Barton said Byrnes Mill Police were already on the scene when the fire district arrived and directed firefighters to the likely location of the trapped teen. He said firefighters entered the home, found the teen and transported him out the window in about three minutes.
“(The firefighters) definitely faced a challenge because of the limited visibility, but our training tells us where to search, and we had an idea of where he was located,” Barton said.
The other family members refused medical treatment, he said.
The Eureka, Antonia, Saline Valley and Cedar Hill fire protection districts assisted, along with the Big River and North Jefferson County ambulance districts.
The fire was under control by 3:39 a.m., Barton said. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined as of 9:30 a.m., he said.