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Elderly woman dies days after house fire in St. Louis

A space heater was being used to keep puppies warm, according to the fire department.

ST. LOUIS — A space heater meant to keep puppies warm was the cause of a house fire in St. Louis early Tuesday morning, according to the St. Louis Fire Department.

Around 3:30 a.m., firefighters responded to the 3100 block of Watson Road for a house fire. St. Louis Fire Captain Garon Mosby told 5 On Your Side an elderly woman, who slept in the basement of the home, was rescued by firefighters.

The woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Family members said she died Thursday due to injuries sustained in the fire.

Mosby said the woman had seven puppies in a closet and used a space heater to keep them warm. The fire department said the space heater was kept too close to combustible materials and ended up causing a fire.

A man who lives in the home tried to rescue the woman, but the smoke was too thick, Mosby said, and he suffered smoke inhalation but refused medical treatment.

All of the puppies were rescued from the fire and they are OK.

"Oddly enough, this is at least our sixth or seventh space heater fire and ironically the second fire with a space heater keeping puppies or animals warm," he added.

Credit: KSDK

5 On Your Side stopped at the home Tuesday afternoon.

"I got woken up that there was a fire so I ran downstairs to see what happened," 13-year-old Nevaeh Alewel said. "I knew my grandma was down there and the puppies."

That's when she said she was smacked by smoke and ran back upstairs to call 911. 

Her grandfather said he tried to barge into the basement to help his wife.

He said he even smashed the window and tried to put out the fire himself. He told 5 On Your Side, he could hear the dogs screaming.

However, he said there was just too much smoke.

He said he's been with his wife for more than four decades and has been in this home for 37 years.

"It was bad. I saw my grandma get laid down right there and I thought she had died. She's doing better, but her breathing is kind of bad," Alewel said earlier this week.

A member of the family later told 5 On Your Side that the woman's organs failed due to damage from smoke inhalation.

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