EDWARDSVILLE - A Good Samaritan performed a life-saving act at 12:35 a.m. Thursday in the 5500 block of Tiger Road in Edwardsville when he noticed a strange light in a house next to him and he discovered it was a fire. The man quickly worked to wake up the family of three, one pregnant, help them to safety, and called 911.
Edwardsville Fire Department called a box alarm in the situation. Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said it is good to have good neighbors.
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“If he (the neighbor) hadn’t seen the fire and acted on it so quickly, it could have been a much more disastrous situation,” he said.
“At 12:32 a.m. this morning Edwardsville Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire on Tiger Drive in Edwardsville,” Chief Whiteford said. “EFD responded along with mutual aid departments Wood River, Glen Carbon, Troy, and Collinsville. The fire appeared to have started on the exterior of the house and burned up the siding into the roof. Occupants were notified of the fire by a neighbor who fortunately was still awake and noticed the light from the flames. All occupants were evacuated prior to EFD arrival.”
Chief Whiteford said the Tiger Street home is salvageable, but will not be liveable for a period of time because of damage.
“We had to pull the ceilings out of the kitchen and garage areas to fight the fire,” the chief explained. “The wet drywall plus the insulation burning and embers dropping down as the fire was put out leaves a mess inside that will have to be cleaned up and water dried. At least a good portion of the roof will have to be replaced. The garage was sagging and almost collapsed.”
Whiteford said the dangerous fire was brought under control after about half an hour of suppression efforts. The chief commended all the firefighters for their strong efforts to stop the fire.
“There were no injuries to occupants or firefighters,” he added. “The family of three is displaced due to damage to the home. Red Cross has been notified and is assisting the family with lodging. Cause and origin investigation is underway.”
Chris Rhodes also contributed to this story.
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