St. Paul Firefighters Rescue Nine-Year-Old

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - St. Paul firefighters have rescued a 9-year-old girl who was trapped by a smoky fire in the basement of her home.

Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard says it's not clear if Nevaeh Sellers she was sleeping on the mattress near where she was found Monday morning.

Nevaeh was taken to Regions Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition but was expected to survive.

Zaccard says the fire started near the mattress and was confined to one corner of the basement. While the cause is under investigation, he says the fire is not believed to be suspicious. He says the basement was illegal to use as a bedroom because the windows were far too small for escaping.

But one resident, Mark Peterson, says nobody was using the basement as a bedroom.