WEST FRANKFORT - Six people awoke to the barking of dogs about 3 a.m. Wednesday as the small trailer they were sleeping in quickly filled with smoke and flames.

Alicia and Rusty Smith ran south through the trailer to one of only two exits from the burning residence. Behind them, Laura Metzler followed with her daughter, Jessica Hansen, and her husband, James Hansen, sticking close behind.

Stan Metlzer stayed inside the burning home until he was certain all five others had made it out safely. With third-degree burns to his arms and back, he exited the trailer just as neighbor and retired West Frankfort firefighter Dennis Ledbetter called 911, alerting authorities to the fire, which had nearly consumed the entire structure.

As the family gathered on the curb of the southwest corner of Charles and Monroe streets, they huddled together in pajamas and tearfully tried to make sense of how the fire started, grateful their pets alerted them in time to escape the flames.

Alicia said the fate of those four-legged heroes wasn't as lucky as that of their owners. Three of the four dogs were killed in the blaze; a small mixed breed named Bullet showed up about thirty minutes after the fire began, scared but excited to see his owners.

"The dogs let us know and then my mom started to scream that there was a fire," Alicia explained. "The last one out was dad (Stan). He wanted to make sure that everyone got out before him. That's why he ended up burned all over his body."

West Frankfort Fire Department arrived on scene just after 3 a.m. and quickly took Stan Metlzer to a nearby hospital. He was then flown to St. Louis.

"This is the scariest thing you can imagine," Alicia said. "We all have some minor injuries."

None of the other five victims opted to be taken away by ambulance.

Public Safety Commissioner Leon Sailliez was on scene just minutes after firefighters arrived. Johnston City Fire Department and Mercy Regional Ambulance Service, in Benton, provided mutual aid.

By about 4 a.m., the fire had been mostly contained and firefighters began the process of breaking down the charred structure to ensure the flames weren't rekindling beneath the rubble.

Frankfort police officer Mike Dinn made several calls, and the American Red Cross arranged for temporary placement of the family.

Charlie Hutson stood in the roadway, occasionally assisting fire crews in finding water meters and other things on the property.

Hutson said he is the manager for the strip of trailers along Charles Street, noting those residences are owned by a Du Quoin resident.

Hutson said the trailer that burned, 401 A, did not have smoke detectors and neither do any of the other four that he manages on that block.

"They were supposed to have them," he said. "I have been slowly working on these trying to get things together."

Illinois State Fire Marshal Dave Bandera and West Frankfort Fire Chief Wes Taylor investigated. Bandera said the fire started inside the trailer and was not of a suspicious nature. The official cause of the fire was ruled undetermined.

tara.fasol@thesouthern.com / 351-5824