ST. LOUIS – The remains of a north St. Louis teenager were recovered Thursday after being reported missing from a house fire.
Chandler Hill, 18, was unaccounted for after a fire broke out at his home in the 4500 block of Athlone Monday. The St. Louis Fire Department was able to use drones to search for and recover Hill’s body.
“It’s tough; it’s obviously heartbreaking for the family and hopefully there was some small measure of comfort and closure today that we were able to actually locate their loved one,” Capt. Garon Mosby said.
“I cannot imagine the devastation that this has reeked upon this family and on this community; so many of our neighbors were out here, including myself, sobbing,” Alderwoman Laura Keys (Ward 11), who lives across the street from the family, said.
A neighbor was able to rescue Hill’s grandmother before crews arrived. Due to unforeseen conditions, by the time the fire department was on the scene, first responders could not locate the teenager.
It took crews 13 hours to put out the fire in the freezing conditions.
“To see something like this happen and to have watched this little boy grow up right here with us, it is heart wrenching,” Keys said.
Authorities were determined to find Hill.
“We had several days where we came by and tried different methods of attempting to locate (Hill), then today we came back and used a department drone, UAV, and we were able to locate the deceased in the rear of the building,” Capt. Mosby said. “The rescue squad and other members came out and we were able to remove and recover him.”
