ST. LOUIS — Investigators said early Thursday morning, a fire started in the living room of a home on Krem Avenue in St. Ann and trapped a 67-year-old woman inside.
"I looked out back and I could see it coming out of the kitchen window and out of the roof," Henry Krumrey said.
Firefighters pulled Krumrey's next-door neighbor out of the home, but the Air Force veteran died at a hospital.
"I just can't imagine if that was my sister, my mom, my grand-mom. It's so tragic," Krumrey said.
On Tuesday, investigators said 72-year-old Deborah Johnson was killed in a house fire on Altonwood Drive in Jennings.
Last Friday, 4-year-old siblings died after getting trapped in a house fire in Cahokia Heights.
"It takes a toll on firefighters. We cope by maintaining good camaraderie. We do critical and stress debriefing and some firefighters seek counseling," Camp Jackson Assistant Fire Chief Sharon Davis said.
In less than two weeks, 11 people have been killed in house fires in the St. Louis area.
Six of them were children.
"The fires are getting more frequent. They're getting more severe," Davis said.
That's why Davis is spreading all-important safety reminders.
First, make sure you and your family have an escape plan.
"Everyone should have exits out of their home. At least two of them," Davis said.
Practice the escape plan.
"No matter who's in the home, it's important to have an escape plan. They make it simple for children. They call it E.D.I.T.H. and that stands for 'Exit Drills In The Home.' We teach them in fire prevention and elementary school. The plans are supposed to be done monthly especially with children," Davis said.
Also, never overload extension cords or outlets.
"You overload and we can have fires and those fires don't usually start when someone's sitting there watching TV. It's usually when you're in bed and sleeping, " Davis said.
Of course, we can't stress enough the importance of having a working smoke detector in your home at all times.
"I'm hoping everyone makes it their top priority to be safe," Davis said.
Remember, free smoke detectors can be picked up at fire and police departments.
Also, in some areas, firefighters will come to your home and install them for you.