According to East Alton Fire Department Captain Rodney Palmer, rescue crews were dispatched to the 400 block of Whitelaw in East Alton, near the city limits of Wood River, at 10:13 p.m. Wood River crews, already working a call nearby, were first on the scene.
Palmer said when crews flames and smoke were aggressively billowing from the bedroom and living room windows of 409 Whitelaw, the rear portion of a duplex shared with 407 Whitelaw.
Firefighters aggressively attacked the blaze, knocking it down within a matter of several minutes as a crowd of neighborhood onlookers gathered.
Kristi Grojean, 42, who requires a wheelchair for mobility, lived in the destroyed apartment.
She told the Telegraph she was sitting on her porch smoking a cigarette when her home ignited.
“I heard the smoke detectors go off, I turned around, and fire was coming out of my bedroom window,” she said.
At about that time, Dustin West, who shares the adjacent apartment with his girlfriend, Kendra Gregory, and two young daughters, appeared. West attempted to quench the flames with a bucket and water, but to no avail.
“It got so intense, so fast,” Grojean said. “Dustin tried his best to put it out, but it was just so intense.”
At that point, West and Gregory took Grojean to a safe place away from the fire and called 911.
Grojean said she’s grateful to have neighbors who look out for her as West and Gregory did Saturday night.
“It’s just fantastic,” she said. “It’s something that I can’t really put into words… I’m still kind of in shock by all of this.”
Grojean’s apartment was completely destroyed. She said her sister had offered to take her in during the tough time. Their mother, currently hospitalized, is in poor health, Grojean said.
West and Gregory’s apartment sustained only light smoke damage, Palmer said. He believes they’ll be able to return to the home soon, but the apartment would need to clear inspection first. Family members of Gregory were on the scene, helping gather clothing and other items. Her grandfather, Kenneth Gregory, owns the property.
The Red Cross was expected to help the families recover.
Palmer said the cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation.
Mutual aid came from Wood River, Rosewood Heights, Alton, Hartford and Roxana departments. Overhauling the property and fully extinguishing hot pockets kept firefighters at the scene until 1:44 a.m. Sunday. Palmer attributed the lengthy duration to the reinforced structure of the duplex.
“The structure is in the ‘defense area’ of East Alton,” he said. “Those houses are built extremely strong. It makes overhauling them hard.”
Telegraph reporter Cory Davenport contributed to this report.
Managing editor Nathan Woodside can be contacted at 618-208-6456 or on Twitter @NWatTelegraph.
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