ST CHARLES, Mo. — Three people are without a home for the holidays after an early morning fire in the City of Saint Charles.
"When I arrived, the house was heavily engulfed in fire and I noticed a couple of people were standing out front and they were the occupants of the house," George Sheets, fire chief of St. Charles Fire and Emergency Medical Services with the Saint Charles Fire Department, said.
Sheets said a man and woman in their mid-50s lived in the home and were both taken to the hospital after they jumped from the second floor.
The man was treated for a head injury and smoke inhalation.
Another man in his 20s was in the home and was not hurt.
"The cause is still under investigation, but they noticed the origin seems to be near the Christmas tree. Not that it's what necessarily started it, but it's always one of those safety things that we talk about this time of year," Fire Capt. Kelly Hunsel said.
He also said the biggest challenges were navigating narrow streets and extinguishing the fire because homes were extremely close to each other.
John Feldt and his wife woke up to the flashing lights overnight. The couple has lived in the community for nearly a decade and said people are already wanting to help the family.
"New Town is such a close community. The first thing you see is everybody wants to help the family. They'll do GoFundMe or help them in any way," Feldt added.
Hunsel credits the special siding on the home for reducing the risk of the fire spreading to other nearby homes.
"The way the house was situated and the fact that the homes around it have cement bore or hardie siding as opposed to vinyl siding helped reduce those exposure risks," Hunsel said.
Feldt said New Town will be sure to wrap its arms around its neighbors.
"They need to know that all their neighbors and friends are behind them and we're all concerned. We're praying for them, just reach out to us," Feldt added.
The Saint Charles Fire Department said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Fire crews said they want to warn people that real and artificial trees should be monitored closely during the holiday season.