Shreveport House Fire Leaves 2 Children in Critical Condition

A terrifying situation in Cedar Grove Thursday (12/30/21) morning when 2 children were trapped in a burning home.

Shreveport Fire crews were dispatched early Thursday at 5:48 a.m. to a reported house fire in the 200 block of West 78th Street, in the Cedar Grove.

A neighbor who noticed smoke coming from the home made the call to dispatch. The first fire crew arrived to the home and reported heavy smoke visible from the front of a one-story home. The occupants of the house were two adults and five minors.

Five of the seven occupants of the home were able to make it out safely before SFD’s arrival. The father tried to rescue two children from the home, but failed due to the extreme heat and smoke. SFD, rescued the two children through a window on the front of the home as police and medics were standing by for treatment and transport.

The father was transported to a local hospital with burns and cuts from attempted rescue. The two minors, suffering from severe smoke inhalation, were transported to the hospital as well. Both minors were in critical condition at the time of transport. It took the efforts of — 43 firefighters and support—25 minutes to bring the situation under control.

The heavy fire and smoke damage left the home uninhabitable. Shreveport Fire Chaplains, American Red Cross, Fire Recovery Ministries (First Baptist Shreveport), and Signal 51 were contacted to assist the family and firefighters with immediate needs. The cause of the fire is under investigation.