Articles labeled: east st. louis

Derrionna Adams, a 12-year-old girl from East St. Louis, Illinois, rescued her five brothers and sisters from a house fire — by tossing them out a second story window. While a couple of the kids suffered minor injuries from the fall (they must have a really lush lawn!), it certainly beat the fate that awaited them if they had remained inside.

The fire early Saturday in East St. Louis left one of the children, a 9-year-old boy, with burns on his arms. A relative said that child also broke his ankle in the fall.

The other children were not injured. The house was destroyed before firefighters could put out the blaze.

East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks Jr. on Saturday called the girl a “true hero demonstrating tremendous courage and wisdom and insight in making sure she got her younger siblings out of that building.”

The city will honor the girl, Parks said.