ALTON, Ill — A child has died after a fire at an apartment complex Monday night.
At around 7:19 p.m., the Alton Fire Department and Alton Police Department responded to an apartment complex in the 300 block of Mitchell Street for a report of a fire with a child inside.
The apartment complex was engulfed in flames when crews arrived at the scene. Firefighters started to put out the fire while searching for the child. Crews found the child inside the building.
The child was taken to a hospital and was later pronounced dead. The victim was identified as 5-year-old Malachi Scruggs.
Multiple agencies are continuing to investigate, and a cause of the fire has not been released.
“We all would like to express our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Malachi Scruggs,” the Alton Police Department said in a news release.