Five Southern Illinois fire departments responded to a 1:55 a.m. fire in downtown Elkville on Friday, a fire that claimed the lives of a mother and daughter living in an upstairs apartment. The victims have tentatively been identified as Zakia White Davis in her early 30s and daughter Ashantie, who resided in one of two apartments that face the north side of the furniture store building. For many years the building was home to Downs & Son Furniture Co. More recently it has been home to Southern Home Furnishings. Du Quoin Fire Chief Brett Crain said his firefighters worked alongside firemen from Elkville, Dowell, DeSoto and Royalton. Du Quoin firemen said they fought falling lath and plaster ceilings and got entangled in falling wiring as they searched for the two victims. Du Quoin firemen found the mother and DeSoto firemen are said to have found the mother during a second tactical advance on the fire. When the Emergency 911 call came in, an Elkville police officer was the first to arrive and helped evacuate five apartment dwellers from the northwest corner upstairs. Firemen say the blaze started in the apartment where the victims were found, then spread west into a second apartment. The downstairs furniture store received moderate smoke and water damage. The building is owned by a land trust.  This was the scene at daybreak as Elkville firemen who had been up all night survey the damage. The burned-out windows at center front the apartment where the two died.