Two people have died following southern Illinois house fire, coroner says
Two people injured in a Jefferson County house fire have died in area hospitals, the coroner said.
A man died at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mount Vernon while a woman died at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, according to Jefferson County Coroner Roger Hayse.
The names of the victims have not been released because family members still have to be notified, Hayse said Thursday.
The fire was reported Wednesday morning along Vermont Lane near Waltonville.
Hayse said the fire destroyed the home and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
The fire occurred in the Waltonville Fire Protection District, which called several other area fire departments for assistance, according to a report by WJBD.
