EAST ALTON - A fire in the 400 block of Whitelaw in East Alton on Wednesday night, May 27, 2026, displaced duplex residents after flames were reported behind a refrigerator in one kitchen and spread quickly, East Alton Fire Chief Jeremy Dively said.
The first report came in at 9:42 p.m. on Wednesday, and the response was wrapped up around midnight, Dively said. Agencies responding to a box alarm included Wood River, Roxana, Rosewood Heights, and Alton.
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Dively said a caller reported seeing flames and smoke behind a refrigerator in the kitchen. The fire quickly spread, but the occupants escaped unharmed and contacted the residents in the adjoining unit.
Firefighters knocked down the fire quickly and opened the roof to check the attic space for any extension, Dively said.
Both units sustained heat and water damage, and the occupants were displaced for a while and were to receive Red Cross assistance, according to Dively.
