BERNIE HILLMAN
The Times Herald (Port Huron, Mich.)

Investigators are trying today to piece together the cause of a Port Huron house fire Thursday afternoon that killed two young brothers. The upstairs of a home at 2636 Walnut St. was gutted in the blaze that claimed the lives of Justin Fuller, 3, and his brother, Ronald McKay, 5.

Justin died in the home. Ronald was pronounced dead at Port Huron Hospital, said Port Huron Police Capt. James Carmody. He said an officer tried to rescue the boys.

"We had one officer in the area, Sgt. Greg Vincent, when the call came out," Capt. Carmody said. "He went to the top of the stairs and that was far as he could get. The one big room was in flames."

No one else was injured by the blaze. No damage estimate was available Thursday.

Port Huron Fire Chief Robert Carmichael said the fire was contained on the second floor of the two-story house, which is owned by the boys' grandparents. The emergency call came at 12:12 p.m., and firefighters were on scene by 12:15 p.m.

The boys, their school-aged brother, and mother, Juanetta Fuller, 38, lived in the home with Ms. Fuller's parents, Kenneth "Chuck" and Mary Fuller, said Jack Fuller, the boys' great-uncle.

Only the two younger boys and their mother were at home when the fire started.

Jack Fuller, 63, of Columbus Township said the mother injured her ankle trying to rescue them.

He fought back tears as he described his great-nephews.

"They were two lovable little guys," he said. "They were just joyful to have around."

The boys' aunt, Bethel Fuller, 31, of Port Huron cried as she talked about the boys she first hugged in the hospital when they were born.

"Justin, he was an observant and outgoing little boy," she said. "Since the day he was born he would watch what everybody would do. Ronald ... they were both very loving children."

Ann Lashbrook is a former in-law of Chuck Fuller and lives four doors down and across the street from the house.

She said she watched from her yard as the tragedy unfolded. She saw the fire trucks arrive, and then smoke billowing out a window. She saw firefighters carry one of the boys to an ambulance.

She also saw the boy's grandmother, who had run home from her job at nearby Garfield Elementary School.

"Mary came running down the street," Ms. Lashbrook said. "She was just frantic and said to me, 'Where are they? Where are the kids?' They'd gone in the ambulance."

Ms. Lashbrook said she felt helpless as she watched an officer tell Mary Fuller that one boy had died. "She started crying and he put his arms around her," Ms. Lashbrook said.

She said she didn't know the boys well but saw them outside from time to time.

"They would wave when they walked by with Chuck or Mary. They were cute little boys."

The family is staying with relatives.