A neighbor of the three children who were killed during a tragic house fire in suburban Detroit has described the situation as a “nightmare.”
The three siblings — a 16-year-old girl and two boys aged 15 and 12 — could not escape the fire on Sunday night, officials said.
One of the siblings called 911 to report the fire. When firefighters arrived they had to force their way into the home. No adults were present at the time, and investigators found no smoke detectors, Byron Turnquist, fire marshal in West Bloomfield Township, the affluent community where the house is located, said.
“It feels like a nightmare,” Rawad Fayad, who lives next door and watched firefighters bring out the children’s bodies, told 7 News Detroit.
"These are two parents whose children are never going to see them again. They're two parents who are very hard-working people, who care about their kids, who are never going to see their kids ever again, who are never going to have the chance to have a chat with their kids,” Fayad added.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but Turnquist said it started on the first floor, according to 7 News Detroit.
"Having working smoke alarms gives you that early notification to exit your home," he told The Associated Press.
"There was so much smoke on the street we couldn't even breathe, so imagine children being in the house. I'm sure they couldn't either," said Jewelette Estes, who lives in the neighborhood.
One teen was a junior at West Bloomfield High School while the other two victims attended school outside the district, West Bloomfield school officials said in a letter to families.
"During this difficult time, it is important that we come together as a community and support the family involved and one another," the letter said.
It remains unclear where the children’s parents or guardians are at this time.
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Additional reporting by AP.
