A quiet Christmas Eve became a nightmare Christmas Day for a family in west St. Louis County as a house fire left them forced to evacuate their home.
The fire started shortly before 2 p.m. at a residence on Arbor Trails Drive in Ballwin, a neighborhood near Big Bend Boulevard. What began as a typical holiday afternoon soon deteriorated into mayhem as the smoke and fire spread throughout the dwelling. There were a number of members of the family, plus two small children, present at the residence, but fortunately, everyone was able to escape safely.
Nevertheless, the family experienced a tragic loss. Two of the dogs in the family did not make it through that fire.
The fire department was quick to respond to the call, with fire crews arriving in mere minutes, managing to keep the fire contained within the kitchen where it started. Even though the fire could have gotten worse, the smoke had already spread to the rest of the house.
The fire department did their best to save the dogs that had been left inside but unfortunately could not.
Rather than enjoying Christmas Eve together, the family spent their day watching the firefighters at work, trying to get some of their belongings out of their smoke-filled house. Relatives and friends soon rallied around, helping through a time of immense pain and emotional anguish.
According to the fire department, incidents like this tend to be more difficult during the holiday season, where families are meant to share happiness.
They further clarified that more kitchen fires tend to occur during the festive season, especially on Christmas Eve.
officials are cautioning people to be extra vigilant in the kitchen. They encourage people to be in the kitchen while cooking, to not have anything flammable around the stove, and to never cook when extremely fatigued or intoxicated. In case a fire gets ignited, they emphasize getting out of the home quickly with the doors shut to hold back fire and smoke.
Even though the family is relieved that no one was physically injured, the emotional pain of the loss, particularly during the holidays, is something that will take time to overcome.
