ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — One resident and three first responders were injured in a house fire in St. Charles County near St. Peters Tuesday morning.
The husband and wife living in the house told 5 On Your Side they're still unsure of where to go next.
"It's like walking in a haunted house," Tanya Allegri said.
At around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, a home along Wood Oaks Drive caught fire. First responders rescued one person from the fire, according to officials at the scene. A neighbor shared a photo with 5 On Your Side showing large flames engulfing much of the home and heavy black smoke pouring out of the roof.
Tanya said firefighters rescued her mother who is still in the hospital with serious injuries. She said her husband used a piece of a statue to break open a window to pull her and their 2-year-old son out of the fire.
"I heard my husband yelling 'Tanya, grab the baby, get to the window,'" she recalled.
Her husband, Michael Allegri, said he came home at a time he usually wouldn't have. This trip home became the thing he'd never forget.
“I ran back to the house and when I came and I saw a real thick smoke and kind of got sick to my stomach," he said. "I drove a little faster and then when I got to the corner I saw it was our house and you know that was it. When I pulled up I thought everybody in the house was dead.”
Michael said the first thing he saw through the smoke was his son's face. The rest of their children had already made it out of the house.
An off-duty firefighter, a St. Charles County police officer and a St. Charles city officer were also taken to a hospital as a precaution for smoke inhalation.
According to O'Fallon Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Andy Parrish, the off-duty firefighter was the first one on the scene after hearing the screams of someone trapped inside.
“One of our off-duty guys was actually in the area and actually attempted the rescue of the patient along with two officers," Parrish said.
Parrish said the off-duty firefighter and other responders worked together to pull the woman trapped inside out of the house.
5 On Your Side talked to one nearby neighbor who saw it all on his morning run.
“I could see the smoke from Woodland Sports Park, which is about 2 miles away," Tony Leah said.
Leah said he heard the fire alarms and saw lots of smoke even from that far away.
“I saw the fire trucks down the street this way and as I went down Oak Ridge I could see them going that way also, there were just all up and down the street,” he said.
5 On Your Side saw people cleaning up at the home and going through what remains. Leah said he and the community stand behind the family.
"Anything they need, you know, I'm willing to help," he said.
The family set up a GoFundMe fundraising account to cover expenses.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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