Raw video: Fatal motel fire in Berrien County, Michigan
Five children, adult dead in massive motel fire.
A massive fire at a motel in Michigan early Saturday has killed one woman and five children from the same family, police said.
Police identified the victims as: Kiarre Samuel, 26, Marquise Thompson, 10, Gerome Randolph, 7, Samuel Curtis, 5, Savod Curtis, 4 and Avery Curtis, 2. A 2-year-old child is being treated at a hospital for injuries, WSBT 22 reported. Four other people and four first responders were also transported to the hospital but have been released.
The fire destroyed about 90 percent of the Cosmo Extended Stay in Benton Harbor in the southwestern portion of the state, on the shores of Lake Michigan. At the time, 27 rooms were occupied.
A fire at a Michigan motel has killed a woman and five children from the same family, officials said. (WSBT 22)
Leroy Johnson, who lives in the motel, told the station that the fire might have ignited inside his room.
“As I woke up my bed was on fire. I said ‘Oh my God.’ I got my sheets and wet them and I tried to throw them on the bed and as I throw it on the bed it didn't work. So I asked the person above me for some salt,” Johnson said.
Officials said at least one other child was being treated at a local hospital, WBND-TV of South Bend, Ind., reported.
Firefighters received a call about the fire at 1:45 a.m. local time, a report stated. (WSBT 22)
The call for the fire, in Berrien County, Mich., came in at 1:45 a.m. local time, the report said.
The motel, about a two-hour drive southwest of Lansing, has been completely evacuated, officials said.
A fire at a Michigan motel has killed a woman and five children from the same family, officials said. (WSBT 22)
It was not immediately clear how many other people were injured.
The cause of the fire was also not immediately clear, but authorities are investigating.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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