DETROIT – Three people are dead after a family home caught fire on Detroit’s west side early Monday morning.
The Detroit Fire Department was called to the home in the 19000 block of Wildemere Avenue at about 6 a.m., Dec. 15. They arrived to the house in less than five minutes.
A man was outside and told firefighters there were people trapped inside. Firefighters immediately pulled an elderly woman and a teenage girl out of the flames.
The woman was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition. The teenager died on the way to the hospital, neighbors say. The man outside was also taken to the hospital, but was not seriously injured.
Three generations lived in the home for more than four decades.
Their family friend, Eric, lives two doors down. He’s known the family for 17 years.
“Halloween parties, Thanksgiving dinner, all of this, all of the above,” Eric said when recalling the time spent with the family.
This holiday certainly won’t look the same for Eric. He woke up to flames spewing out of his close friends’ windows.
“I watched these people lose their lives and I was standing here,” he said. “There’s nothing I could do. It was heartbreaking -- Good people. They never bothered nobody.”
Another woman who lives nearby, Leslie Ely, heard about the fire and felt she needed to come to the house to pray for the survivors.
“They lost their lives,” Ely said. “How sad is that? That is so sad. It really is.”
City councilor Angela Whitfield Calloway also came out to express her sadness.
“Such a tragedy and it’s heartbreaking. I don’t know if it has to do with heaters. We don’t have all those answers, but I know that it’s a tragedy,” Whitfield Calloway said.
The Detroit Fire Department issued a statement Monday afternoon.
“On Sunday and early this morning, we responded to two fires that tragically resulted in the loss of life,” the statement said. “Our hearts are with the families, loved ones, and neighbors affected by these incidents. We extend our deepest condolences during this difficult time. Our members remain committed to protecting our community and responding with care, professionalism, and compassion.”