Cahokia Heights house fire kills two 4-year-old children

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File Photo Photo credit Bruno Vincent/Getty Images

Fire consumed a Cahokia Heights home Friday afternoon, leading to the deaths of two small children. A boy and a girl, both were four years old.

The blaze broke out in a house on St. Gregory Road near Water Street. Crews from six fire departments responded. One child was found dead inside the home. Another was transported to a St. Louis hospital but died there.

According to various reports, the mother was inside the home when the fire broke out but said she could not reach the children, due to heavy fire and smoke. She was able to escape. It took firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the fire.

"We were met with heavy smoke conditions, a lot of heat and a lot of fire," Cahokia Fire Chief Stephen Robbins told our news partners at Fox 2. "Crews went in with the hose line very aggressively."

Robbins said what firefighters found inside and what neighbors saw was difficult to bear.

"This one is definitely tough, especially with losing two small kids in this fire," he said. "There was a lot of neighbors out here that were upset, so yeah, it kind of hits hard."

It's the second time in a week that St. Louis area firefighters have dealt with the deaths of children in a fire. A house fire Monday in Ferguson claimed the lives of four children. Authorities later announced that their mother, who also perished in the fire, intentionally set a mattress on fire and left a note indicating her plans for a murder-suicide.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of Friday's fire in Cahokia Heights.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Bruno Vincent/Getty Images