United States (Missouri) - A 16-year-old died in a house fire in East St. Louis Saturday morning. Relatives identified him as Alexander Johnson. Other members of his family escaped the flames and tried to rescue Johnson but were forced back by heavy smoke.

East St. Louis firefighters responded to the blaze at 8:06 a.m. at a two-story, single-family home in the 600 block of North 79th Street.

Johnson's parents, Owida Johnson and Eric Vaughn, and brother, Eric Johnson, 35, escaped the fire, according to Iquiria Nichols, 20, who also got out along with her two children, a 1-year-old and a 2-week-old.

Johnson was found in the basement of the home, which is where he slept, Nichols said.

East St. Louis Police and the Illinois Fire Marshals Office have not determined the cause of the fire.

Written by St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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