‘It was just too much smoke’: 6-year-old boy killed in house fire on Detroit’s west side

Fire too dangerous for responders to enter home

DETROIT – A 6-year-old was killed in a house fire that broke out Sunday afternoon in Detroit on Lindsay Street.

One man, a neighbor who called 911, struggled to describe the scene. “Man, that’s bad, especially when you kinda would see the kid every once in a while, you know?”

The fire took place at a home on Lindsay Street on Detroit’s west side Sunday afternoon and ultimately claimed the life of a 6-year-old boy.

“At first I was working in my garage, and I started smelling smoke that had a plastic smell to it, and I looked up and I saw some smoke a block over,” the neighbor said.

What caused the fire is still under investigation. “This is a very unfortunate situation, this is the worst nightmare, this is the worst scenario you can ever have as a firefighter,” said James Harris of the Detroit Fire Department.

“I called 911 and I guessed the address because it was on a corner and the firefighters, man, they came out fast,” the neighbor said. “I heard sirens almost immediately after I called.”

Officials say that the boy was the only one home during the time of the fire.

“I saw this house, it was just too much smoke, I could barely see the street, you couldn’t see the address, it was so much smoke,” the neighbor said.

The fire was too dangerous for any responders to make it inside the home.

“The City of Detroit and the fire department, we’re gonna pray for the family right now, and the loved ones,” said Harris.

A relative of the child is currently in custody.

UPDATE: Relative could face charges after 6-year-old boy dies in Detroit house fire

The investigation into the fire is still ongoing and this story will be updated as we receive more information.


About the Authors:

Victor Williams joined Local 4 News in October of 2019 after working for WOIO in Cleveland, OH, WLOX News in Biloxi, MS, and WBBJ in Jackson, TN. Victor developed a love for journalism after realizing he was a great speaker and writer at an early age.