CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. – The City of Cahokia Heights is working with the Red Cross to house and provide relief to more than 50 displaced residents following a five-alarm fire at a senior apartment complex Wednesday afternoon.
According to the Camp Jackson Fire Department, one person died, and five others were injured as a result of the fire.
The fire started around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Touchette Elderly Apartments on Bond Avenue. Camp Jackson Fire Chief Chris Davis said more than 40 firefighters from 12 nearby departments responded.
First responders were able to rescue more than 50 people from inside the building.
Davis said the five injured residents were treated at the Touchette Regional Hospital, which is right next door to the apartment complex. They’re expected to be okay. Davis said the fire happening at a senior apartment building presented its own set of challenges.
“We had to start plucking people out of their apartments,” Davis said. “A lot of them were bedridden, some couldn’t walk, and the smoke was getting to some of them when they got out in the hallway.”
Investigators have not said what caused the fire or how soon residents will be able to move back in. The state fire marshal is investigating.
