Two Children Die in House Fire in Pana

A young girl and her baby brother died in a house fire in Pana on Sunday morning.

Christian County 911 received a phone call at 5:43am about a structure fire in the 800 block of East Second Street in Pana. A Pana police officer was first to arrive on scene a minute later and spotted heavy smoke coming from a residence at 808 East Second. Family members outside the residence told the officer of two small children still inside. The officer tried to enter the home but was driven back due to the intense heat and smoke generated by the fire. Pana Fire Department Command arrived at 5:48am and tried to enter the front of the home, but were also driven back by the heat and smoke.

Once additional fire personnel reached the scene, attack crews entered the home and searched for the children. During the search, heavy fire vented throughout the upper level of the structure, forcing fire personnel to work to bring the fire under control before they could continue looking for the children. Once the search resumed, the children were found on the second level of the residence.

Christian County Coroner Amy Winans reports two-year-old Ellaina Graves Emerson was found dead in her bed in an upstairs bedroom. The coroner said preliminary autopsy reports indicate the child's death was due to carbon monoxide intoxication due to inhalation of smoke and soot from the fire. The child's three-month-old brother, Keith Emerson, was found in his crib in a separate upstairs bedroom. Preliminary results also indicate death was due to carbon monoxide intoxication, again due to inhalation of smoke and soot from the fire.

The parents of the children received injuries during the incident and were taken to Memorial Medical Center in Springfield. Red Cross was notified to assist with the needs of the family.

Mutual aid was provided by the Tower Hill, Oconee, Nokomis and Assumption Fire Departments. Pana Fire Department, the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office, Pana Police Department, and the Christian County Coroner's Office are investigating the incident.