WRIGHT CITY, Mo. — A 23-year-old woman has died and her 3-month-old baby is in critical condition after they were rescued from a house fire in Wright City overnight.
Wright City Fire Chief Ron MacKnight said firefighters were called to a home in the 200 block of Westwood Road at about midnight Friday. When they arrived, a police officer who was already on the scene told them there were people trapped inside.
After trying to make their way into the house through the front door, the officer helped the firefighters enter through a bedroom window. Once inside, the firefighter Cameron Spires found the woman and her baby and worked with exterior personnel to remove them from the home, the Wright City Police Department said.
Assistant Fire Chief Josh Riebe with Wright City Fire Protection District said Spires has only worked with the department for three years.
"Cameron did what he was trained to do and didn't second guess himself," Riebe said.
Riebe said what firefighter Spires witnessed Friday morning is more than some firefighters witness in their careers.
"It's the worse case scenario for anybody and it's definitely something we don't ever want to have to do but we end up doing what we're trained to do," Riebe said.
Riebe said the temperature of the flames was so hot it started to damage firefighter Spires' gas mask.
A 21-year-old man was outside of the home when first responders arrived. He was suffering from burns. Neighbors said the man was hysterical and recalled his burned skin falling off. Smoke was so heavy that neighbors said it came through their vents and set off fire alarms in their homes.
The mother, father and baby were taken to an area hospital for treatment.
Wright City police said in a press release that the mother was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The baby and father are in critical condition, according to Riebe.
The police officer who helped with the rescue suffered a leg injury but is expected to be OK.
Two other people inside the home were able to make it out of the home safely before firefighters arrived.
The Wright City Fire Protection District said it's been nearly 15 years since they've had a fatal fire. The community is wrapping its arms around a family that lost their mother.
"We've been working with the aldermen, the police department and we've been working with the state fire marshal's office, doing everything we can for this family," Riebe said.
MacKnight said the cause of the fire was not yet known.
The case is being investigated by the Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office.
Wright City Alderwoman Kim Arbuthnot's statement:
Wright City has the most amazing group of first responders, the community has always known this but it hit us hard today. The bravery that Firefighter Cameron Spires, Police Officer Mike Filson, and Police Officer Bill Ingrassia displayed this morning was nothing short of heroic. The fact that all of our agencies work to keep our citizens safe makes me proud to live, work and serve here. Thank you is simply not enough.
A GiveSendGo campaign was created to help cover the funeral costs for the mother and the cost of medical care for her 3-month-old baby girl. As of Sunday, nearly $2,800 had been raised for the family.