WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A West Bloomfield house fire remains under investigation. Three children were killed in that fire in the 5000 block of Pembury Lane just after 8 p.m. Sunday.
"It was really hot and the flames were really intense," Jonathan Estes said.
He said he saw fire in the distance, rushed to Pembury Lane and was trying to figure out which house the smoke and flames were coming from.
Estes alerted the Fayad family, who live next to the home where tragedy struck.
"It feels like a nightmare," Rawad Fayad told 7 News Detroit.
Related Video: West Bloomfield fire marshal talks about smoke detector checks and replacements
The 18-year-old was devastated to learn his three young neighbors, a 16-year-old girl and two boys ages 12 and 15, all died in the fire.
He watched as firefighters made their way in and brought out their bodies.
"These are two parents whose children are never going to see them again. They're two parents who are very hard-working people, who care about their kids, who are never going to see their kids ever again, who are never going to have the chance to have a chat with their kids. They're never going to just eat with them, eat dinner, talk to them about school. All of that other stuff that you expect a parent to have with their kids," Fayad said.
"They're never going to have those moments. It's all just going to be a memory from now on."
The fire marshal said the three children were the only people home at the time and that it was reported they were unable to get out. Why that is and what went wrong are under investigation.
Darla Johnson said she could see the fire from her back window.
"It was devastating to me. I lost family in a house fire many years ago. So, it took my back to that," she said.
Brittani McNeary and her father Pastor Martin Dunlap stopped by to say a prayer for the family.
"It's just tragic. You never know when something can occur. It just brings back memories. I grew up over here," McNeary said.
Farmington Public Schools, where two of the children attended, sent 7 News Detroit the letter that parents received. In it, the district let parents know that the FPS Social Emotional Support Team is available for students and staff who are trying to process the loss.
View the full letter below:
"We're working along with our partners in the police department to determine what happened in an effort to prevent it from happening again," West Bloomfield Fire Marshal Byron Turnquist said.
While the cause of the fire is under investigation, Turnquist says it started on the first floor and that there were no working smoke detectors in the home.
"We recommend, especially after an incident like this (you), take a few minutes, walk through your house, test all your smoke alarms (and) make sure that they're in good working order," he advised.
Turnquist said he anticipates returning to the home more than once this week to try and get to the bottom of what went wrong.
