A 3-year-old boy, Kaiden Strubberg, died this morning, Oct. 11, in a High Ridge mobile home fire, according to a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office statement.
High Ridge Fire Protection District Chief John Barton said crews were dispatched at 7:44 a.m. Tuesday for a rescue at a mobile home in the 3100 block of Diamond Drive. Firefighters arrived at 7:49 a.m.
Barton said when crews reached the scene, the mother was screaming that her child was still inside. He said crews found the child at 7:58 a.m., but the child was deceased.
Barton said the mother and an older sibling made it outside the home, but the older sibling was transported by North Jefferson County Ambulance District to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis for smoke inhalation.
Barton said he did not have an updated condition for the older sibling, whom he estimated is older than 5 but younger than 10.
He said he did not know the gender of the older child.
Barton said a bystander who tried to put out the fire before crews arrived suffered from smoke inhalation and was taken by North Jefferson County Ambulance District to an area hospital.
Barton said the cause and start of the fire were being investigated by the State Fire Marshal's Office and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
According to the Sheriff’s Office statement, the office had been working with state investigators but no cause of the fire had been determined as of 3:50 p.m. Tuesday.
“There is nothing right now that indicates intention, but it is way too early to tell,” Barton said.
He said a large amount of smoke and fire was coming from the windows and front doors when crews arrived on the scene.
The house was still standing but the inside had been destroyed by smoke and fire. Barton said the home is uninhabitable.
The home did not have working smoke detectors, Barton said. The district can provide and install free smoke detectors if residents call 636-677-3371.
High Ridge had assistance from Fenton, Saline Valley and Eureka fire protection districts.