UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — Five of six children who were taken to the hospital following a Tuesday house fire in University City have been released.
The youngest, an infant, remained at the hospital as of Wednesday to receive treatment for smoke inhalation, and police said they were "optimistic about the child's progress." The other children all suffered minor injuries.
University City police and the University City Fire Department responded shortly after 6 p.m. to a fire that spread to three nearby homes in the 6500 block of Etzel Avenue in University City. Several agencies were called in to help extinguish the fire.
A mother was at home with her children when the fire started and spread to two vacant homes nearby.
A spokeswoman for the American Red Cross said a couple and 10 children lived at the home where the fire started. It was unclear how many of the children were in the home at the time, but they ranged in age from a baby to 14 years old.
According to a preliminary investigation, the fire started because one of the young children was playing with paper on a kitchen stove.
"It is a grim reminder to all of us to be cautious and to educate our young ones about the dangers of playing with fire and household appliances," the police department said.
Keonda Walker said she quickly called 911 after she saw a fire at her next-door neighbor's home
"It was a scary situation. People were running down the street and there was a lot going on," Walker said.
Witnesses said a passerby raced to the scene. They saw a frantic teen holding his baby sibling and trying to comfort his younger sisters and brothers on their porch. The passerby told 5 On Your Side the infant seemed to have started choking from the thick smoke and she ran the baby to paramedics, who rushed the child to a hospital.
As the clock ticked, firefighters finally put out the flames and the good news spread around the neighborhood: No one suffered serious injuries and the little ones will be OK.
"I'm just glad about that. That had to be really scary for all of them, and, with school just starting. It was really a lot," Walker said.
"My heart goes out to them because I can't even really imagine all that they went through," Captain Rob Cage with the University City Fire Department said.
The Red Cross is helping the family at this time.
Editor's note: Authorities originally said that two children were taken to the hospital. This story has been updated to reflect that only one child was taken to the hospital.