Detroit Group Home Fire Leaves One Dead, Four Hurt

Feb. 20, 2021
Detroit firefighters rescued four people from an early morning fire in a group home that left one man dead.

Feb. 20—One man died and four others were hospitalized Friday after a fire ripped through a group home on Detroit's east side, authorities said.

Crews were called to the house in the 6100 block of Burns at about 1 a.m. and found flames on its first and second floors, Deputy Fire Commissioner Dave Fornell said.

Firefighters rescued four men — one in his 40s, two in their 50s, and a 65-year-old — from inside and transported them to Detroit Receiving Hospital, Fornell said.

They were treated for burns and smoke inhalation. The 65-year-old was listed in critical condition, Fornell said.

A fifth person in the home, believed to be a man in his 40s, was found burned beyond recognition in a second-floor closet, Fornell added.

Investigators believe the fire was accidental and linked to overloaded electrical circuits in the home, which is believed to be nearly a century old.

"A number of space heaters were found in the home, so the assumption is that contributed to the cause of the fire," he said.

Fornell told The News Friday night that the investigation is ongoing.

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