MT. VERNON, Ill. (WSIL) -- Neighbors on South 24th and Wescott Streets thought they were waking up to a foggy Sunday morning.
Then they saw blinking red lights coming from firetrucks. They knew a house fire was going on but they didn't know there were casualties inside.
Eighteen-year old Ashley Cheatham and her 14-month old son Brendon Pauling died in the house fire, according to county coroner Roger Hayse.
Firefighters arrived just before 6 a.m. Sunday to a home fully engulfed in flames. Tamara Prather, who lives across the yard, felt the heat from her bedroom as she woke up.
"My whole room was glowing red and it freaked me out so I yelled to my husband 'fire'", Prather said. "It was the neighbor behind us and the house was fully engulfed."
A third victim, Cody Pauling, suffered severe burns to his hands, chest and feet according to Fire Chief Kevin Sargent. Firefighters believe Pauling tried to go back into the home to rescue Cheatham and the baby.
Pauling was taken to a burn unit in Springfield for treatment. Sargent says the flames also spread to a home next door but police were able to warn the residents inside. A woman in the home was treated at a local hospital.
Prather says her power was cut for about an hour after some electric lines were melted by the fire. Prather adds it's tragic that the mother didn't get to live a full life and that her son didn't get to start his.
"I have grandkids. I had a grandchild with me that night," Prather said. "It's scary. You never know what's going to happen."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Illinois State Fire Marshal's office. Sargent says this is a painful reminder to always check your smoke alarms, change your batteries and have a fire escape plan in place.
Hayse says an autopsy was performed on the victims Monday afternoon in Marion. The results to an official cause of death are still pending.