Family of five and three dogs killed in Missouri house fire

Multiple pets were saved from the property following the tragedy in Ferguson, St Louis

A school teacher, her four children and three of their pet dogs were killed in a house fire in Missouri early on Monday morning.

A neighbour called the Ferguson Fire Department just before 4.30am when they spotted flames coming out of the home on the 500 block of North Clay Avenue in Ferguson, close to St Louis.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found a woman, four children and three dogs dead inside.

Several other animals were rescued from the property, including 14 rabbits, three chickens and two cats.

Local news outlet 5 On Your Side identified the woman as local teacher Bernadine “Birdie” Pruessner, while the children were named as two-year-old Millie, six-year-old Jackson and nine-year-old twin girls Ellie and Ivy.

“Tonight our hearts are heavy,” Ferguson Police Department said in a statement on Facebook. “Please keep this  family, our first responders and our community in your prayers as we all grapple with this horrific tragedy. Thank you to all of the responding houses and support teams for having our back.”

First responders tackle a fire at a home in Ferguson, Missouri on Monday, 19th February 2024 (Ferguson Police Department)

Pruessner had worked as a teacher at multiple schools in the St Louis area and had written a book called “Making it Montessori: A Modern Mom’s Manual”, the local outlet reported.

A neighbour described her as a “very good mother”.

“She used to take her kids walking up and down the street. She was very good with her kids. She was a very good, very good mother,” said Jamie Young, who lives across the street from the home.

An official from the Ferguson Animal Coalition told 5 On Your Side that some of the animals were being cared for by relatives and that new homes would need to be found.

St Louis County Police Department told The Independent on Tuesday that it was investigating the incident and official identification of the victims would take place.