In this Saturday, March 10, 2018 photo, bystanders console each other as they watch fire personnel investigate the scene of a fire in Eastpointe, Mich. Authorities say they are trying to determine the cause and origin of the house fire that killed three children in suburban Detroit. (Todd McInturf/Detroit News via AP)
March 12, 2018 - 2:05 PM
EASTPOINTE, Mich. - Authorities are trying to determine the cause and origin of a house fire that killed three children in suburban Detroit.
Eric Keiser, Eastpointe's acting director of public safety, told The Associated Press on Monday that an initial investigation hasn't shown signs of arson, but that extensive damage has complicated investigative efforts. He says fire officials didn't find working smoke detectors in the home, which caught fire early Saturday.
Found dead in the home were two boys — 8-year-old Zyahir Swain and 9-year-old Brendon Mahone — and a girl — 4-year-old Madison Adams. Keiser says two women who were the mothers of the children lived there but weren't home at the time.
He says authorities are interviewing relatives and neighbours, adding it's "a very emotionally charged, very tragic event."
News from © The Associated Press, 2018