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Fire burns three homes in Washington Park, Illinois

Published

2 years ago

May 11, 2023

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WASHINGTON PARK, Ill. – A massive overnight fire in Washington Park destroyed two houses and damages a third home. No serious injuries are being reported, however one firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.

It all happened on Portland Place, not far from Route 111 and north of I-64. Authorities told FOX 2 the two homes which were destroyed were both vacant, the third home which is damaged was occupied.

Three people were inside of it at the time of the fire. They all escaped without injuries.

Washington Park firefighters got the call about 4:15a.m.

The Assistant Chief for the Washington Park Fire Department, Ronnie Harris, told FOX 2 when crews first arrived, the two vacant houses were already fully engulfed and the flames were spreading to the third home.

The fire quickly went to three alarms, with crews from seven different departments responding.

The three people who were inside the damaged home shared that they were all sleeping when the fire started.

One of the three, Ronaldthen Dent, said for some reason he just woke up and realized what was happening. He got his girlfriend and her father up, and they all got out of the house.

“When I woke up, I just opened my eyes,” Dent explained. “The screen on the window, it was on fire. That was the first thing I seen – it was right in my face. So I woke up, and I was like no this ain’t real. Then I looked again – yeah this is real!”

His girlfriend, Christine Clemons, added, “I didn’t believe it. I kept hearing glass break, you know, I’m like what’s going on. Fire department being at the door, he’s rushing trying to get everybody out the house. It was crazy.”

The Washington Park Fire Chief said that his crews did have some water issues which delayed them for a few minutes during the firefight. He said one fire hydrant did not work properly, and crews had trouble getting the cap off of another one before finally getting it to work.

The Illinois State Fire Marshal has been called in to help determine a cause.

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Our Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX helicopter was flying over the area. FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.

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Man attacks Jeff Co. deputy with screwdriver during attempted arrest

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.

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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.

According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.

Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.

Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.

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St. Louis Public Schools superintendent to be sworn in

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.

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Gas tanker crashes into St. Louis Metro transit center

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Natural Bridge

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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.

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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.

A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.

The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.

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