2-year-old girl dies in south St. Louis house fire without utilities, leading to push on available assistance resources

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A 2-year-old girl died Wednesday morning in a house fire on Pennsylvania Avenue in south St. Louis. St. Louis Fire Department determined the cause was an unattended candle and ruled the fire accidental. The fire remains under investigation.

Three other children, including a 10-month-old, and two adults were treated for smoke inhalation. The St. Louis Fire Department said the ages of those treated range from 10 months old to an adult in their 30s.

The fire happened around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday at a home in the Carondelet neighborhood. Five other people who escaped the house were taken to hospitals.

Neighbors said that by the time they got outside, flames were overtaking the house.

Neighbor Tierra Randle, who called 911, helped start a memorial outside the home.

“I heard a baby crying. I heard people like, ‘help, help,” Randle said.

Randle said she could hear the girl’s brother.

“I could hear her brother saying, ‘My sister’s still in there.’ He was like, ‘Where is she at? He’s like, ‘the living room,’ he kept saying ‘the living room.’ I started crying automatically,” Randle said.

Neighbor Brittany Beckett was one of the first people to call 911. Beckett said she heard screaming and that her boyfriend looked out the back door and saw black smoke coming from the house. She said they ran toward the home.

“My boyfriend was attempting to run to the house, but obviously, you can’t do that. It was already far too late. It was in flames already. So I was like, ‘you can’t go in there. We can’t do that.’ Only thing we can do is wait for the fire department,” Beckett said.

She added, “It’s bad. I cried right whenever I heard it. I started crying immediately when I was panicking. I was crying, freaking out. Like, there are babies in there. We have to get in there. Like, it was between me and my boyfriend pulling each other back from the house.”

Beckett said she was not close to the family but often saw the children outside.

“The kids will always be swinging in their backyard, swinging. That’s right where our back door is. So we actually just talked to that little baby the other day who passed away. She was on the swing, saying hi. And we would say hi to her and she’d say hi again every time we walked by,” Beckett said.

Randle said his kids spent time with the family.

“My boys used to watch the babies, and they were closer to them. I knew the boys’ mama, like, we conversated and she used to give the boys groceries and stuff like that. Then we used to send food over there. I was just getting close to her,” said Randle.

There were no working smoke alarms inside the home. A source told First Alert 4 gas service was cut off in March and electricity was cut off in September.

Gentry Trotter, founder of Heat Up St. Louis, said the organization does advocacy, public education and utility assistance. He said the organization works with utility companies and with residents.

“It’s hard to believe that in 2026, people don’t have any working utilities,” Trotter said.

Trotter said people should treat the fire as a tragedy and work to prevent another.

“What I want people to know is to take this as a tragedy and let’s not try to duplicate this. I feel awful because one soul lost means that we all didn’t do our job,” Trotter said.

To address a utility bill, Trotter said the first step is to contact the utility company. He said a number of groups, such as Heat Up St. Louis, are available to help when needed.

“If you’re having a problem and your bill is getting outrageous, for whatever reason, don’t be shy. Don’t be embarrassed. You run towards the utilities, not away from them,” Trotter said.

Trotter said people can go to heatupstlouis.org.

Trotter also said people whose utilities are on should use their primary heating source and not supplement it with other sources, like ovens, because of the danger they can pose.

Beckett said she did not know the home was without electricity.

“To hear that they didn’t have electricity, that breaks my heart. Like, because I didn’t know that, or I would have tried to help, you know? With all those kids in there,” Beckett said.

Randle encouraged people to ask neighbors about available resources.

“Don’t be scared to ask your neighbor, you know, if it’s resources or anywhere they can help. And just stick together,” Randle said.

The St. Louis Fire Chief said fires increase at this time of year because people are trying to stay warm. The chief urged people to reach out for assistance and to have a working smoke alarm.