2 children dead, 3 other people injured in Canton Township fire
(CBS DETROIT) — Two children are dead and three other people are injured after a fire in Canton Township Sunday evening, safety officials say.
Police and fire crews were called to a residence in Glen Ridge Manufactured Home Community on Haggerty Road around 5:30 p.m. for reports of a fire.
The Canton Public Safety Department says responding crews found a home completely consumed by flames, with two adults and two children outside. A third child was rescued from inside the home.
All five were taken to the hospital, where two children, 3-year-old Emelliah Thomas and 2-year-old Ezekiel Thomas died, family members confirmed to CBS News Detroit. The third child, 5-year-old Eremias Thomas, remains in critical but stable condition.
"It just happened so fast. These places go up in a minute. I mean, it was so quick. The fire just engulfed the house in minutes," said neighbor Wendy Herdell. "They were the sweetest, most loving little kids. Just hear their laughter in my head and my yard all the time. Can't believe that they're gone."
Canton officials say the two adults, identified as the children's parents, were treated at an area hospital and have since been released.
"Obviously, it's like the worst thing we can encounter," said Canton Fire Chief Christopher Stoecklein. "We'll have a lot of people here to cope with this and we're gonna have a lot of therapy for them and we're gonna have a lot of people that they can talk to. Obviously, this is a big deal for our department. We haven't had a loss here in a very long time."
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Officials say smoke detectors in the home were originally working, but as police and fire units arrived, they did not hear them operational.
This is a developing story. Stay with CBS News Detroit for the latest.