Woman, 2 children die in St. Louis suburb fire

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. -- A fire that killed an elderly woman and two children in University City was caused by a space heater, the town's fire chief said Thursday.

The fire broke out Wednesday night in the St. Louis suburb, and the home was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived. Firefighters pulled 78-year-old Mamie Williams, 4-year-old Trevion Dunger and 6-year-old Kaliyah Dunger from the home. All three were taken to hospitals where they died.

Williams is believed to be the great-grandmother of the children.

Four others escaped without injuries.

University City Fire Chief Adam Long said investigators will determine whether combustibles, such as drapes, were too close to the space heater or whether the space heater was faulty.

The space heater was in a sunroom on the first floor. A man in the home smelled smoke and realized it was coming from the sunroom, but the door to the room was locked, and by the time a key was found, "all hell broke loose," Long said.

The home had no smoke detectors, Long said.

"It's hard anytime you have a fatality, but especially hard when it's a child," the fire chief said. "Some of the firefighters were visibly shaken."

Darrick Johnson, a family friend, put three stuffed animals on the front porch Thursday morning and said a silent prayer.

"It's sad to see these young kids passing away," he said.

The older woman, Johnson said, "was a sweetheart, always there when you needed her."