Community comes together after Ferguson house fire kills mother, children

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FERGUSON, Mo. – The community continues to grieve for a mother and her four children, who were found dead after a fire ripped through their Ferguson home.

The fatal fire happened just before 4:30 a.m. Monday in the 400 block of North Clay Avenue. On Tuesday, people have been stopping by and leaving cards, stuffed animals, and flowers at a makeshift memorial outside the home to honor the victims. Those who knew the victims say they will be missed.

“It’s very heartbreaking to hear that a mother and her children perished in the fire,” Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones said.

Late Monday afternoon, investigators described the fire as suspicious and said there was evidence of criminal activity.

The mayor said the city will come together for the family.

“We are a resilient community. And when there’s something as tragic as this, people come together, support one another, have an opportunity to talk with one another,” she said. “So the healing process can start.”

The father of the mother who died identified the victims as Bernadine Pruessner and her four children, including 9-year-old twins, a 5-year-old, and a 2-year-old. The twins attended school in the Parkway School District.

“Our first responders, they are heartbroken, too, because they’re young. They have children, too,” Jones said. “And we are praying for our first responders and just, hopefully, will continue to pull together as a community and get through this.”

The mother of four children was well-known in the community, worked at Lewis and Clark Community College as an assistant professor and coordinated the child development and education programs since fall 2022.

Lewis and Clark President Ken Trzaska submitted this statement:

Birdie was a dear colleague and friend to all. She cared so deeply about her students and about helping others. She brought an energy and illuminated such a bright light of positivity and kindness to our campus community.

We consider ourselves family at Lewis and Clark and we are all devastated and numbed by this tragedy. We will always carry Birdie’s legacy and memory forward, and we can never forget the impact that she had on her students and community.

We all only hope that her family may find courage and strength during this unfathomable time.

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