1981 — Jan 11, Single Family Home Fire, East St. Louis, Illinois — 11
— 11 Coyne, Collette M. “Firefronts,” Firehouse, Feb 1981, p. 12.
— 11 Jones. “1981 Multiple-Death Fires in the U. S.,” Fire Journal, V.76, N.4, July 1982, 68.
— 11 NFPA. The U.S. Fire Problem. “Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities…”. 2008
— 11 The Daily Herald (Chicago). “Mom’s Out Dancing; 11 Kids Die in Fire.” Jan 12, 1981, 3.
Narrative Information
Coyne: “East St. Louis, Illinois, January 11—An early morning house fire here claimed the lives of 11 children who were left unattended by their mother. The bodies of all the children, who ranged in age from 10 months to 11 years, were found on the second floor of the gutted house. Firefighters reported flames were shooting out of the two-story brick house upon arrival. A poorly installed gas space heater was suspected of causing the fire, which a spokesman for the Illinois State fire marshal’s office described as the worst multiple-death house fire in the state’s history. The house was not equipped with smoke detectors.” (Coyne, Collette M. “Firefronts,” Firehouse, Feb 1981, p. 12.)
Newspaper
Jan 12: “East St. Louis, Ill. Eleven children, left alone in a house while their mother apparently went dancing, died Sunday in a fire that gutted their two story home. The children all were 11 or younger and included two sets of twins.
“St. Clair County Coroner James Radden said the woman…was being held in the East St Louis Jail, although formal charges had not yet been filed. “Certainly a woman who has 11 children and isn’t home at 2 a.m., something should be done,” Radden said at a news conference. Hadden said Miss…was “reluctant to say where she was,” but the woman reportedly had gone out dancing with her boyfriend. Radden said neighbors told authorities Miss Williams often left the children unattended, and that the state Children Family Services division had visited her recently.
“Radden said Miss…, who is 28 and unemployed, is three months pregnant and also has a 12th child, who was said to be living with relatives of friends in Missouri….
“Neighbors reported the fire about 2 a.m., and several men attempted to enter the burning building. Mike McCray said he was unable to enter the front door, and tried to kick in the back door to the two-story home. “I heard a little screaming,” said McCray, 25. “And it sounded like footsteps trying to get to the door. But the fire was too bad, and no one came out.”
“Radden said the first body was discovered at 3.51 a.m. and the last at 10 a.m. He said firefighters were hampered by rubble in the gutted home.
“Authorities had not determined exactly when Miss Williams arrived at the home, but said she was seen at the hospital and later identified all her children at the morgue. “They had second- and three-degree burns,” Radden said. “But we believe they died of smoke inhalation.”
“Assistant St. Clair County Coroner Alan Karraker said the fire, which he said may have started in a gas space heater, was out of control when firefighters arrived….
“The house is in a residential, but rundown, area of the city. The home next to the…home already was demolished and several other houses on the block have been destroyed by fire.” (The Daily Herald (Chicago). “Mom’s Out Dancing; 11 Kids Die in Fire.” Jan 12, 1981, 3.)
Sources
Coyne, Collette M. “Firefronts,” Firehouse, Feb 1981, pp. 12-13.
Daily Herald, Chicago, IL. “Mom’s Out Dancing; 11 Kids Die in Fire.” January 12, 1981. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=23309633&firstvisit=true&src=search¤tResult=1
Jones, Jon C. “1981 Multiple-Death Fires in the United States,” NFPA Fire Journal, Vol. 76, No. 4, July 1982, p. 68.
National Fire Protection Association. The U.S. Fire Problem. “Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (1980-2007).” Quincy, MA: NFPA, April 2008 update. Accessed at: http://www.nfpa.org:80/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=953&itemID=30981&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/The%20U.S.%20fire%20problem