as walking across because he was talking to the kids and his wife, Heather, had already was on the phone call 9-1-1,  he said.

 Then my concern was that's when I seen the first of the flames coming out of the window to get over here to my hose, turn it on, and try and get some water on this backside of the garage,  Student said.

Neighbors said St. Louis County Police and the Black Jack Fire Protection District arrived within minutes.

 I stayed back there until I felt water coming out of the window, that I knew that the firefighters were in and extinguishing the flames from inside,  Student said.

Student said he and his family learned later of the deaths and the other children's injuries from the fire. He said officials were there until the early morning hours of Saturday.

Student said the fire was a reminder for his family to prepare for emergencies.

 We talked to all the family members in our family. We have four children with their own families. And we all went through that, you have to have some kind of emergency preparedness plan. And this just drove it home,  Student said.

Hazelwood School District said Monday it has a crisis intervention team that includes professionals to support students, families and staff during difficult times. Monday, counselors were available during the school day.

Fullerton said,  This is a really close-knit community. I think North County gets a bad name sometimes. We're really close-knit. We look out for people. We let each other know if we're going to be out of town. We know whose pets belong to whom. We're going to step in. At the end of the day, we're all human. 

The fire remains under investigation by the St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit and St. Louis County police's Bureau of Crimes Against Persons. The cause of the fire is still being determined, but it is not believed to be suspicious.