St. Louis firefighters could not do anything to rescue three children killed in a apartment fire over the weekend in St. Louis Missouri.  The fire apparently started in the kitchen of the two bedroom apartment and then quickly spread throughout, engulfing the entire premises in flames.  When St. Louis City firefighters arrived on the scene, there was just nothing they could do.  Two young children were found dead in their bedroom and a third was found deceased in the kitchen, very badly burned.  Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.

This particular apartment had two smoke detectors located within the apartment itself, but no built-in sprinkler system.  There were no reports that the smoke detectors ever went off, failing to warn the occupants of a fire brewing inside the building.  Smoke detectors can be especially critical at night, when occupants are sleeping and can be quickly overtaken by smoke from a smoldering fire.  Were these defective smoke detectors?  Did the apartment management company know that they were inoperable?  These are questions that a St. Louis Defective Product Injury Lawyer will be looking into from the start.  It is critical for the lawyer and his investigation team to secure evidence, including the smoke detectors themselves, before such evidence is tampered with or destroyed.

This is a horrific set of circumstances, for the families and friends of these three children that lost their lives.  Our Missouri injury lawyers are finding more often that multiple-family apartment buildings and their management fail to keep smoke detectors in in good working order.  Liability can potentially lie with the apartment management company, maintenance company, and the manufacturer of the smoke detector itself.  Don't be victimized twice.  Contact a St. Louis Defective Product Injury Lawyer today to discuss your case.