ST. LOUIS — Two children, 5-year-old Miracle Warner and 6-year-old Antwan Williams Jr., died in a Friday house fire in south St. Louis.
It happened on the 5400 block of Michigan Avenue. The children and their father were rescued from the home and transported to nearby hospitals. Sadly, both children died from their injuries.
"Mia and Junior, those were there nicknames," said close family friend Shirlena McDile.
Their father is still fighting for his life in critical condition.
"I love him and I hope he pulls through," McDile said.
It’s a situation that the fire department says was preventable if the home had working smoke detectors. Crews arrived on the scene at about 6:15 Friday morning and found the three in the front of the room. The two children were in cardiac arrest.
"They were sweet kids, they were very sweet. I would buy them toys and they loved candy," McDile said.
The regional bomb and arson team is investigating because of the deaths.
St. Louis Public schools said the two children were enrolled at Woodward Elementary.
Smoke Detectors Save Lives
Fire officials on the scene did say that they did not believe the home had smoke detectors.
“Candles, space heaters, extension cords,” St. Louis firefighter Michael Orbin said those are a few of the main culprits for house fires this time of year.
But he gets it, families will do whatever is needed to stay warm. He just wants people to be careful.
“It only takes a moment for you not to be watching,” Orbin said. “If you are going to have it on, you need to be awake and in that room at all times.”
A properly working detector could be the thing that saves you in an emergency. Even after being in a fire that got up to 600 degrees during a controlled burn, the smoke detectors were still working.
Sometimes house fire can get as hot as 1,000 degrees.
If you get caught in a fire, get low and go to a safe meeting point away from the burning building.
If you need help with a smoke or carbon monoxide detector, call the St. Louis Fire Department. They will come to your house and help for free.
If you'd like a smoke detector installed in your home, you can go to redcross.org and search, "sound the alarm."
