March 20--ST. LOUIS COUNTY -- Two people were injured, one critically, in a Monday morning house fire at 12956 Fernway Lane, Monarch Fire Protection District fire marshal Roger Herin said.
One man suffered serious burns and smoke inhalation when he became trapped as he tried to escape from a bedroom, Herin said.
The second man, who rescued the other victim by dragging him out of the smoke-filled home, suffered minor smoke inhalation. The more seriously injured man was in critical condition Monday night at Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur, Herin said.
Both men are 18. They are friends who live at the home with two others who were not home at the time the fire broke out about 8 a.m., Herin said. The man who rescued his friend was treated at a hospital and later released.
Firefighters believe the fire started in the family room. The cause does not appear to be suspicious and the ignition source is under investigation, Herin said. The victims were in the front yard when firefighters arrived at the scene. Herin said no firefighters were injured.
The blaze destroyed about 60 percent of the ground floor of the single-story residence and left smoke damage throughout the home. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control shortly after arriving.
The home did not have working smoke detectors, Herin said. One of the victims was in the basement and the other in a bedroom when the fire started, Herin said, and smoke detectors may have helped alert them earlier.
Patrick M. O'Connell covers crime and breaking news for STLtoday.com and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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