Rescue workers found three children dead from smoke inhalation. Three others who were huddled together and unconscious in a closet died in a hospital.

The victims range in age from 1 or 2 to early teens. Firefighters are not sure of their relationship but said they believed one family lived in the apartment.

A man was arrested hours after the fire broke out. Police said the suspect was believed to have been in a fight outside the apartment building prior to the fire.

"Anytime you have a fire at 4:30 p.m. on one of the busiest intersections in St. Louis, 50 feet from the firehouse, and it is fully engulfed in flames within minutes, there's a pretty strong indication it was intentional," St. Louis Fire Chief Neil Svetonics said.

Adults cheated death

A woman believed to be the mother of some of the children was not home at the time of the fire, but arrived just as firefighters were extinguishing it, fire Capt. Duane Greer said.

A witness said flames were shooting out of the windows when she arrived.

"We saw the fire and then we saw a girl hanging out the window crying `Help me, help me and my kids,"' said Selina Bailey, who was picking up her younger sister from cheerleading practice in the neighborhood. "This is a sad day."

A woman escaped the fire by jumping out of a window in the third-floor apartment. Rose William, a neighbor, said the woman landed on her face. The woman suffered burns and broke her leg.

Three adults escaped the fire. It was not immediately clear if the victims were from one family.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

RELATED SITES:

Fire and Safety Directory
United States Fire Association

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