ST. LOUIS – A mother and her two young boys are fortunate to be alive after an early morning fire at their north St. Louis home Sunday.
The St. Louis Fire Department confirmed the fire in a post Sunday, which started in a vacant building next to Ayesha Smith’s home in the 5800 block of Minerva Avenue in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood.
“All occupants accounted for outside the dwelling,” the post read.
Smith said she’s still emotional over how close they were to not escape the home with their lives.
“If we would have been in the house ten minutes later, my kids wouldn’t have made it out,” Smith said.
Smith said she and her two sons, 8-year-old Barry and 7-year-old Braylon, were fast asleep when their home caught fire around 5 a.m. Sunday. She credits a neighbor she did not even know for waking them up.
“I was asleep, and I heard banging on the door, and it was real loud. So, I figured it was an emergency,” she said.
Minutes later, the home was fully engulfed. Smith said the structure is a total loss. Despite this tragedy, she is grateful to be alive, and especially grateful to the man who woke them up.
“I was thanking God that man came and knocked on the door, because we might have still been asleep,” she said. “We probably would have all been in that house burnt up, set on fire. It was a close call.”
Smith grew up in the home. She said her mother was killed on the street four years ago. In the midst of yet another tragedy, she said she’s finding strength and reasons to be grateful.
“Don’t take life for granted. One day you’ve got something, the next day it’s gone,” Smith said.
The family lost everything in the fire. Smith said they also do not have homeowners’ insurance. Those interested in helping the family can visit their GoFundMe page.
