ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – A St. Louis firefighter is okay after falling through the floor of a burning vacant home in north St. Louis Wednesday, an incident that comes as neighbors and city leaders warn that vacant-building fires tend to spike during cold snaps when people try to stay warm inside unsafe structures.
The overnight fire happened in the Mark Twain neighborhood near Arlington and Prange. The St. Louis Fire Department said the fire started in the basement and spread upward, weakening the structure. During the response, radio traffic captured the moment crews realized a firefighter had fallen through.
“He went through the floor,” a firefighter said over the radio. Another voice then called for an immediate evacuation: “evacuate the building, all companies evacuate the building.”…