A house fire in Bartonville claimed the life of four-year-old John Bankes III.
The midday fire-call at 312 Buena Vista came with the report of a child trapped inside. Bartonville Fire Department Assistant Chief Drew Zachman says the house had flames coming from the windows when they arrived. He says they started water lines and had to knocked the fire down from outside the house.
“We tried getting guys inside, but due to unsafe conditions with the fire we were unable to get inside," Zachman said. "So we continued to knock down the fire from the outside until we could get crews inside.”
Getting to the fire on the narrow dead-end residential street added a layer of complexity for emergency responders.
“This is a dead end street," Zachman said. "So we had to have first engine come in and then the second engine hit a hydrant and laid into them so that we had enough room to get that hose up to other engine.”
The Peoria County Coroner says the child’s father also sustained burns, but he remained at the scene. West Peoria, Limestone and Logan-Trivoli Fire Departments assisted Bartonville. The Illinois State Fire Marshal is investigating.