CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill — One woman was killed and five people were injured Wednesday when a fire broke out at the Touchette Elderly Apartments in Cahokia Heights.
Judy St. John, 82, died in the incident. Of 74 residents, five were in the hospital for observation, 21 were staying at the Cahokia Heights fitness center and 47 went home with family members.
The fire began shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday according to the Cahokia Heights Police Department.
Camp Jackson Assistant Fire Chief Sharon Davis was the first on the scene and wasted no time.
"She went to work trying to pull several out, which she did," Camp Jackson Fire Chief Chris Davis said.
In a news conference Thursday, Sharon Davis called it a "career fire."
"I hope to never see that again," Sharon Davis said. "But it definitely would have been very overwhelming for me if we had not had the assistance of the fire departments from the area, the police department, Metro Ambulance, they made several rescues, they made several rescues right alongside of us. Touchette Elderly Home, the employees really stepped up, the residents themselves stepped up."
Police officers, EMS workers, maintenance workers and other residents all joined in to get residents out.
"Some were bedridden. Some, as soon as they came out of the hallway, the smoke hit them. We had to hurry up and drag them down the steps to safety," Davis said.
Those rescued included 77-year-old Delmarie Smith. She was at home when a fire broke out on the second floor.
"I couldn't get up and out. I said 'I better not let the smoke in,'" she said.
She called her daughter to tell her what was going on.
"I got the call. She said they were evacuating and my heart dropped," said Vivian Mosley, who left work to see about her mother.
ER staff from the next door Touchette Regional Hospital responded to the scene and helped crews set up a triage area, Tomlinson said. Of the 74 people who lived in the apartments, 50 were rescued from the building and the rest were able to get out on their own.
Firefighters said the fire started in St. John's apartment. She went into cardiac arrest outside and was pronounced dead at the scene.
"The fire was contained to that bedroom or that room, that apartment. Just smoke throughout. That's what hampered the rescue efforts," Davis said.
"She was my little buddy. She ran errands for me...She was a sweet little lady," Smith said of her neighbor.
The apartment remained evacuated as of Thursday afternoon. "I have smoke damage on all three floors," Sharon Davis told 5 On Your Side, "Third flood is pretty good. First floor is not too bad. Second floor is heavy smoke damage. I have water damage on the second and first floor."
She said ceiling tiles on the second floor were falling down and the floor below was buckling. Davis holds residents will be able to get back in soon, but there is currently no timeline for re-entry.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.