Linniece A. was sound asleep with her boyfriend and children in their home. She woke at 6:30 a.m. thinking she’d help get her oldest son ready for the school bus. Instead, Linniece opened her eyes and saw flames surrounding her 5-month-old baby’s crib and her home burning. 

The house fire began around 7:00 a.m. in the 4100 block of Nebraska Avenue. St. Louis Fire Captain Garon Mosby confirmed two space heaters connected to an extension cord caused the fire. 

Linniece said her boyfriend, Antonio, tried his hardest to put out the fire before it got out of control, but Linniece's instincts told her to grab her five children—ages 6, 4, 2-year-old twins, 5-month-old—and get them out of the house.

“When he came back down and he made it to the bottom of the steps, he was like, ‘I can’t do it.’ Then you just hear everything popping and everything just in flames,” Linniece said.

While the children waited safely at a neighbor’s house, Linniece & Antonio watched their home burst into flames.  

They were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.    For now, Linniece and her family are collecting themselves at Antonio’ sister’s home but are in desperate need of help. They are asking for any bit of assistance, whether it be clothes or food, to get them through this time.

You can contact Linniece Anderson directly on Facebook or at [phone redacted] if you feel moved to assist their family.