HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – Neighbors watched helplessly as flames overtook a Hamtramck home early Tuesday morning, killing the family of four inside.
"I kept saying somebody's got to be inside because they tried to get the screen door open but they couldn't," one neighbor told Local 4.
The house on Yemens Avenue caught fire just before 2 a.m.
The couple, James and Freddye Parker, both 46, and their sons, Jarred, 7, and James. Jr., 11, were killed. Their bodies were found in upstairs bedrooms. The couple also has two older daughters who are away at college at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
"They were just a great family. They were just very gracious -- very loving in the community," neighbor Ibrahim Aljahim said.
The boys played football with the Motor City All-Stars. Their parents also coached.
Detroit PAL Athletic Director DeWayne Jones said the Parkers' passing leaves a big hole in the community.
"Randy and Dee did a great job of going out and mobilizing that entire community around football, basketball and baseball," Jones said.
The cause of the fire is still being determined, but fire officials said there was a lot of clutter in the home, which made it difficult for rescue crews to fight the fire.
Donations are being collected online for the Parker Family Memorial Fund.