DETROIT – Talitha and her two young sons are resting peacefully now, but it was a different story early Thursday morning when they were part of a dramatic fire rescue at a group home on Detroit's west side.
Talitha is a caretaker at Currie Room and Board for independent living on Crocuslawn Street. She said it was just before 4 a.m. when she smelled smoke and heard an alarm go off.
"I just ran across the street, beating on a neighbor's door with my babies in my arms," she said.
The mother said she and the neighbor then started breaking windows one by one to try to get to the seven residents inside. She said helped at least one of the residents out through a window before firefighters arrived.
All of the residents were rescued from the home. Four of them were taken to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and bumps and bruises.
"I did what I had to do because they are like family to me," Talitha said.
Fire officials on the scene said the fire appears to have started in the basement, but an exact cause hasn't yet been determined.