The Carondelet home had no working smoke detectors, and officials said residents had been relying on candles and alternative power.
ST. LOUIS — A south St. Louis home where a 2-year-old girl died in a fire had no electricity or working smoke detectors, and residents had been using candles before flames swept through the property early Wednesday, fire officials said.
The conditions inside the Carondelet home have become a central part of the investigation following the death of Karmela “TaTa” Bohan-LoForte and the hospitalization of five other family members. Authorities have not determined that the candles caused the fire, and the official cause remained under investigation Friday.
The blaze was reported around 4:30 a.m. Nov. 11 in the 6700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue near Haven Street. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the front of the home. Five people, including three children, had escaped and told emergency crews that Karmela was still inside.
Firefighters searched the burning home and found the 2-year-old inside. She died at the scene. Two adults and three children were taken to a hospital after significant smoke exposure. Authorities reported no injuries among the firefighters who responded.
St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said investigators learned that the house did not have electrical service and that candles were being used for light and warmth. Officials also said a small heater may have been receiving power from another building. The home had no functioning smoke detectors, according to the Fire Department.
Separate reporting indicated that electrical service to the home had been disconnected before the fire. That circumstance helps explain why the family was relying on other sources of light and heat, but investigators have not publicly identified the loss of electricity as the cause of the blaze. A final determination on the origin and cause had not been released as of Friday.
The distinction is significant because several conditions were present at the property, but investigators still must establish what actually ignited the fire. Fire officials have said only that the home lacked normal electrical service, candles were in use and no working smoke alarms were found. They have not announced evidence showing which, if any, of those circumstances directly started the blaze.
The fire occurred as colder November weather was settling into St. Louis. Jenkerson said alternative heating methods become an increasing concern as temperatures fall and households without utilities look for other ways to keep living spaces warm. His comments addressed the broader fire risk rather than assigning a cause in the Carondelet case.
The absence of working smoke detectors also meant the occupants did not have that form of early warning before the fire became heavily established. By the time firefighters reached Pennsylvania Avenue, flames and smoke were already pouring from the home, and Karmela remained trapped inside while the five other occupants were outside.
Investigators continued working to determine how the fire began. No criminal allegation has been announced in connection with the blaze, and authorities have not said that any person intentionally caused it. The investigation remained focused on establishing the fire’s origin and cause while the family mourned the death of the 2-year-old girl.
Author note: Last updated November 13, 2026.