Three people are dead after a house fire early Tuesday morning in Scott City. Fire crews were dispatched to the scene at 401 Hopper St. at 1 a.m. They found one woman who was able to escape. She was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape and then airlifted to Saint Louis with burns. Scott City fire chief Jay Cassout says they later found three people still inside, who appeared to be sleeping when the fire broke out. He says the building was completely engulfed when crews arrived.
The victims are identified as 75-year-old Donald Estes, 53-year-old Cheryl Talley, and 24-year-old Brittany Calhoun. All three died from smoke inhalation. Cassout says a dog also died. He says the fire will be ruled accidental. It’s not known if there were any operational smoke detectors in the house. Cape city and the NBC Fire Protection District assisted in putting the fire out, which took about an hour.
