Two people have died and a third has been flown to a burn hospital in the aftermath of a Sunday morning fire at a home at 1213 South 24th in Mt. Vernon.
Jefferson County Coroner Roger Hayse identifies the two who were killed as 18-year-old Ashley Cheatham and her one-year two-month-old son Brendon Pauling. The bodies were recovered after the fire was knocked down. An autopsy to determine the cause of death is scheduled for Monday afternoon.
The boy’s father, Cody Pauling, was burned attempting to reach the other two. He was initially taken to SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon and then transferred to a Springfield, IL burn center. Pauling reportedly had burns to his hands, feet, and chest. He was outside the home on the fire department’s arrival.
Mt. Vernon Fire Chief Kevin Sargent says the small single-story home was fully engulfed in flames when spotted by a neighbor and reported to the fire department. The fire had also spread to an adjacent home at 1211 South 24th. Sargent says Mt. Vernon Police officers beat on the door of that home and were able to get the two persons out uninjured.
Sargent says the house where the fatalities occurred was a total loss, while the second home received moderate damage.
The State Fire Marshal’s office has been called in to investigate the cause of the fire. Sargent says no determination has yet been made.
Sargent says they were able to get a fairly quick knockdown after arriving on the scene. A natural gas line was breached that was feeding the fire, but he’s uncertain of what role the gas line may have had earlier in the fire.
The fire alarm came in at 5:48 Sunday morning. Jefferson Fire Protection District provided mutual aid on the scene while Kell and Woodlawn Firemen stood by at the Mt. Vernon Fire Station in the event of another fire. All but those investigating the fire had cleared the scene by late Sunday morning.
