Dec. 07--Flames poured from the front windows of the home.
Detroit Fire Engine 30 was first on the scene on the city's west side. Firefighters made their way into the house and upstairs, where they found two little boys. They rescued the brothers --a 16-month-old and a 4-year-old -- and gave them CPR before the children were rushed to different hospitals.
The boys, who had been left alone in the home, died. Police did not immediately release their names.
Now, authorities are trying to determine what caused the blaze on the 16800 block of Prairie. They're investigating both the possibility of arson and that the fire was an accident.
There were conflicting reports Friday about the fire, which started at 1 p.m., including what might have happened leading up to the blaze and what firefighters found at the scene.
Detroit Police Sgt. Michael Woody said one witness reported seeing a man exit a black Ford F-150 pickup with a bucket containing a liquid that he doused on the front of the house moments before it caught fire. Late Friday, Woody said authorities were still investigating the account.
A neighbor, whom the Free Press is not naming to protect the identity of a witness, said he was at home Friday afternoon when he heard the sound of glass breaking and a vehicle speeding away from the scene.
He saw flames coming out of a window on the home's right side. He said he and his brother ran across the street and called out "Hey!" as they walked around the house, trying to see whether any children were inside. Later, he saw firefighters remove the boys.
"It was hurtful" to see, he said quietly.
Fire Capt. Anthony Braceful said when crews arrived to the home near McNichols and Livernois, a man told them no one was at home. But minutes later, another man, believed to be a relative of the boys, tugged on Braceful's jacket and said there were children inside.
The boys' father said he had left his children on the first floor of the home, said Craig Dougherty, chief of fire operations. But when firefighters made their way through the house, they found the children upstairs in the same room.
The 16-month-old, who appeared to have burns on his forehead and knee, was unresponsive, but the 4-year-old showed signs of life, Braceful said.
There was a kerosene heater in the room, but it did not appear to have been the source of the fire, Braceful said. Detroit Police Chief James Craig said there were space heaters in the lower level of the home.
Craig said the boy's father would be be questioned by police. According to police, their mother was picked up on a probation violation Thursday in Southfield.
Late Friday afternoon, fire investigators sifted through the wrecked home, its windows broken out and white siding melted and charred.
"I'm just sad this happened," neighbor Delitta Byrd, 34, said, looking down the street at the scorched home. "Wow."
Byrd, whose daughter and cousin used to play with the children from that house, said they are good, respectable kids. She said a man and woman lived in the home with several children.
"I feel sorry for the family," Byrd said. "I pray for the family."
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