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A 6-year-old boy has died from injuries he got in a North County house fire.

Just before 11 Wednesday morning, firefighters were called to the house, just north of I-70 off Union, after neighbors reported an explosion. Rescuers pulled the boy from the home and rushed him to the hospital, where he died this afternoon.

Investigators say the family was using space heaters in the home and had no working smoke detectors. The rest of the family escaped the fire.

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — James Frost is already serving 40 years in prison for four St. Louis-area rapes. Now, he is getting more prison time for a fifth.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that all the crimes occurred in 2006 in St. Louis city and county. The fifth case was brought by prosecutors in September on the basis of further DNA testing. Prosecutors say Frost assaulted the victim at gunpoint.

As part of a plea deal, Frost on Monday was sentenced to 30 years plus 10 on charges of forced rape, forced sodomy and sexual abuse. The latest sentence will run concurrently with the time already being served on the other attacks.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A judge has issued an order blocking a newspaper's request for documents about the resignation of the police chief in southeast Missouri.

Perryville Police Chief Keith Tarrillion submitted his resignation last week amid allegations that he falsified a police report in a personal insurance claim two years ago.

Perryville city officials alleged that Tarrillion used another officer's name to create a police report about vandalism at his home. Tarrillion later received nearly $5,700 from his insurance company. Tarrillion denied the allegations when he resigned Wednesday.

The Southeast Missourian reports that Circuit Judge Ben Lewis has issued an order that blocks the city from responding to the newspaper's records request for documents about the case.

Tarrillion's lawyer says the records constitute a "closed record" under the Sunshine Law.