2 children die in Detroit fire; mom, 3 kids leap to safety

Fire department officials say a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old died in a Christmas morning fire at a home on Detroit’s east side, while others were hurt when they jumped to safety from a second-floor window

Christmas Fire

A Christmas morning fire killed a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old at a home on Detroit’s east side and forced others to jump from a second-floor window to escape, fire department officials said.

The Detroit Fire Department said the two children were found dead in a front living room of the two-story house Three children and their mother were injured leaping from the upper-level window.

“It’s definitely a Christmas tragedy,” said David Fornell, a deputy fire commissioner. “Just horrible.”

The three injured children were aged 3, 8 and 10, and the mother was holding the 3-year-old in her arms when she jumped, officials said. The 8-year-old girl and the 10-year-old boy suffered third-degree burns. Fornell said the mother and the 3-year-old were not seriously injured. They were all taken to a hospital.

Fornell said he believes the woman is the mother of all five children.

A cause of the fire was not immediately known. An official described it as an “extensive fire throughout the house.”