A woman who died along with her 3-year-old twin grandsons following an early-morning house fire Tuesday in Detroit was found inside with one of the children in her arms, apparently trying to escape the blaze, a fire official said.
Firefighters were called to the home about 12:40 a.m. and found the first floor engulfed in flames, Deputy Fire Commissioner David Fornell said. They found the twins on the second floor of the home along with their 46-year-old grandmother.
“She was trying to get out,” Fornell said.
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A 4-year-old girl was taken to a hospital in critical condition with second- and third-degree burns, Fornell said. A dozen people were living in the home, Fornell said, and the girl was apparently living in the basement with her parents. The house had working smoke detectors.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Fornell said it appears to have started accidentally in the kitchen. Names haven’t been released.
Two distraught family members who arrived after the fire was extinguished also were taken to a hospital, including a woman who had an apparent anxiety attack.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.