By Joel Currier
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
ST. LOUIS — Firefighters pulled a man and woman from a burning two-story brick building Monday afternoon in the city’s Shaw neighborhood, authorities said.
The fire started in the 3800 block of Shaw Boulevard about 1:20 p.m., said St. Louis Fire Capt. Gregg Favre. Two people in the building got out on their own, but firefighters found two people trapped inside.
Firefighters pulled a middle-aged woman from a first-floor rear bedroom and quickly got the fire under control by about 1:30 p.m., he said. Firefighters pulled a man, also described as middle-aged, from a second-floor room toward the front of the building. Firefighters pulled the man through a window and brought him down using a ladder.
Paramedics treated the woman at the scene of the fire before taking her to a hospital. She was unconscious when firefighters found her. The man also was hospitalized with what Favre described as minor injuries. He was conscious while receiving treatment at the scene. Paramedics also treated one of the two people who escaped on their own.
There was heavy smoke spreading through much of the building when firefighters arrived, Favre said. The source of the fire appeared to be the basement, but it was not yet clear what started it. Firefighters contained the damage from flames mostly to the basement though smoke damage was apparent throughout much of the building.
It was not clear if the building had smoke detectors. Favre said the St. Louis bomb and arson unit and police also were investigating, which is standard procedure when someone is seriously injured in a fire.
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