ST. LOUIS — A woman was taken into custody after a 6-month-old and 5-year-old were killed and a 4-year-old girl were critically injured in an apartment fire south of downtown St. Louis Sunday afternoon.
Police responded to the 1100 block of S. 14th Street around 1:30 p.m. for a fire where a baby and two young children were trapped. According to the police report, the officers tried to get in, but due to the intensity of the fire they couldn’t rescue them.
The St. Louis Fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. A 6-month-old boy was found dead and a 5-year-old girl and 4-year-old girl were transported to a hospital in critical condition. The 5-year-old has since died.
A spokesperson for the St. Louis Fire Department said the fire was on the third floor of the three-story apartment building. They said the children were home alone at the time of fire.
Police have not released the name of the woman taken into custody, she is 23 years old.
Police said Bomb and Arson unit and Child Abuse unit responded and are handling the ongoing investigation.
In August, four children were hurt in a fire not too far from where this fire happened. The four children, who were all under the age of 5, survived the fire. The mother and father of the children were both charged in connection with the fire.