2 children dead, 3 others injured after mobile home fire in west Detroit

(WXYZ) — Two children died and three other people were injured Sunday in a fire at a mobile home west of Detroit.

It happened in the Glen Ridge mobile home community in Haggerty, Canton Township. Authorities say the fire call came in around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

So far, there aren’t many answers. The biggest question is what caused this horrific fire. Authorities also did not share the ages of the three children.

Canton’s fire chief said a call like this is every firefighter’s nightmare.

“This is the worst thing we could encounter,” said Canton Fire Chief Christopher Stoecklein. “It’s a big deal for our department. We haven’t had a loss here in a very long time.”

The chief said it has been 30 years since firefighters suffered such a loss.

He said two parents and three young children were home at the time and when firefighters arrived, flames had already engulfed the house. Four family members managed to escape while a child was still trapped inside.

Chief Stoecklein said the other child is in critical but stable condition, and both adults are also believed to be stable.

Neighbor Wendy Herdell became emotional when talking about the family who lived in the house:

Neighbor Shares Love for Family Affected by Deadly Mobile Home Fire

“Three little kids five and under…the sweetest. Every time they saw me they hugged me. I was talking to them a week ago and now two of them are gone and they lost everything,” Herdell said. .

We are told the structure is a total loss.

“It’s happening quickly. Isn’t it? Inside these mobile homes, the fire is spreading quickly,” he said.

Mental health experts were made available to the first responders who responded to this call on Sunday evening.

At this time, both children are believed to have died from smoke-related injuries, but the medical examiner will need to confirm the cause of death.

The chief had this message for the victims’ family: “We are here to support you. Your tragedy is our tragedy. We sympathize with you and will continue to pray for you.”