LINCOLN PARK, Mich. – Two women, a young boy and four dogs were killed in a house fire on Mayflower Street in Lincoln Park early Saturday.
The neighborhood is a tight-knit community where neighbors viewed each other as family. Many residents were dealt a blow after the fire that took several lives.
A 50-year-old woman and 28-year-old woman were killed, along with a 4-year-old boy. A fourth person was able to escape. Their names have not yet been released.
"They're all gone," said resident Dewey Troutt. "Three people dead. Now they don't know why it happened."
Troutt lives across the street from the home of Shawn and Kaira Chapman, which went up in flames.
"I looked and the whole house was burned on the side," Troutt said. "I called 911 and shortly after that, I heard a big explosion too.
Troutt attempted to save the neighbors, but was unable to get inside the building.
"The heat was so bad, you couldn't get near the house," Troutt said. "I couldn't get in, but I tried."
Kaira Chapman, her 4-year-old nephew and a family caretaker were killed in the fire. Chapman was expecting her first child.
"It's so hard to take because I've known them so long," Troutt said.
Shawn Chapman survived the fire and was taken to the intensive care unit.
"The guy who actually lived here has had so much bad luck with his family," Troutt said. "It's not fair to him."
The home was boarded up and blocked off with caution tape across the yard.
The only thing that remains is a statue of an angel.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Chapman family. You can contribute here.
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