St. Francis man pulled from burning home

ST. FRANCIS (WITI) -- A St. Francis man was pulled from his burning home early Sunday morning, June 30th.

It happened around 2:30 a.m. at a home on East Whittaker Avenue.

Fire officials say the back porch went up in flames and not everyone made it out by the time firefighters arrived.

“The report was we had people trapped inside,” says St. Francis Fire Chief Frank Lockwood.  “Crews went inside and did a search."

Police officers forced their way into the burning building and assisted a mother and child to safety.  Smoke began to intensify as flames inched closer to the home.  In a second search, crews located the father, who was trapped in an upstairs bedroom.

“No life-threatening injuries,” says Lockwood.  “He was evaluated and released from the scene.”

Lockwood says what sparked the blaze remains under investigation.

“The investigation team is on scene right now.  It will probably take a few days for them to come to a conclusion, so it’s under investigation," Lockwood said.

Officials say the fire was stopped from entering the structure, but the porch and a large gazebo suffered extensive damage, as well as a large pine tree incorporated into the exterior.

Had it not been for heroic responders, much more could have been lost.