Detroit-area house fire kills three children; faulty smoke detectors blamed

UPDATED: Feb 4, 2025 01:21 IST

Three children tragically lost their lives in a house fire over the weekend in suburban Detroit.

The victims — a 16-year-old girl and her two younger brothers, ages 15 and 12 — were unable to escape when the fire broke out on Sunday night, said West Bloomfield Township Fire Marshal Byron Turnquist.

One of the children managed to call 911 to report the fire, but it was too late. Turnquist noted that the home’s smoke detectors were not functioning at the time.

“Working smoke alarms will give you that early notification if there is a problem, and it’s just very important. Test those smoke alarms — make sure that they work,” he said.

Firefighters had to force their way into the home. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

“There was so much smoke on the street we couldn’t even breathe, so imagine children being in the house. I’m sure they couldn’t either,” said Jewelette Estes, who lives in the neighborhood.

One teen was a junior at West Bloomfield High School while the other two victims attended school outside the district, West Bloomfield school officials said in a letter to families.

(Source: Associated Press)