Mother, 5 Kids Displaced After Fire Rips Through 3 Detroit Homes
DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit firefighters worked for hours to extinguish a fire involving three homes on the city's northwest side.
Fire broke out at one of the homes on Steel Street, near Schoolcraft and Meyers, early Thursday morning and quickly spread to two neighboring houses. Fire officials say one of the homes is occupied, while the others are vacant.
Firefighters reportedly had difficulties containing the fire, from tapping into broken fire hydrants to having problems with getting water through one of their lines. Crews were eventually able to contain the blaze, but not before it completely destroyed the homes.
Reporting live from the scene, WWJ's Vickie Thomas said Lashawn Bell and her five children, including 7-week-old twins, got out of their home safely.
"The neighbor from across the street, he came over here banging on the window and woke us up. When we came outside, it was already on fire. The flames were already coming on the porch when we were trying to get off. So I was thinking that we probably wasn't even going to get off the porch, but we did. I'm just glad me and my babies are out of there," she said.
Bell said she literally lost everything in the fire. Volunteers from the American Red Cross are assisting the family.
"It looks like we're homeless right now. My house is completely gone. There's nothing to be saved. I need a lot of help, a lot of help. Everything, all the brand new stuff for the babies, it's gone. I've got no milk, no diapers, no nothing for my babies. We just ran out there as fast as we could," she said.
No injuries were reported. Fire officials say the cause of the blaze wasn't immediately clear and remains under investigation.
Stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 and CBSDetroit.com for the latest.
