MSP investigating fatal fire that claimed the lives of two young children

 

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Mich., --- Michigan State Police are investigating a fatal fire early Monday morning in Constantine Township that claimed the lives of two young children just three and four-years-old.

Heartbroken community members and neighbors told ABC57 News they’re devastated by the tragedy that hit so close to home.

“Well it scared me, it could have spread through the woods right now they are kind of dry and it wouldn’t have taken much from it to get to there to my place,” said a shaken-up neighbor who shared photos with ABC57 of the aftermath from the fatal fire.

The devastated neighbor did not want to go on camera, but also lives on the 1400 block of Timm Road, a few houses down from where tragedy struck just before 12:30 Monday morning.

“It’s upsetting. I don’t know It’s young kids, they haven’t even had the chance to live their lives yet and now it’s gone,” said the neighbor.

“I just live about a couple miles down the road and heard about what happened. It’s just so heartbreaking to us,” added Pastor Jamey Smith of the Riverside Church in Three Rivers.

Michigan State Police said by the time the first trooper arrived after midnight the building was completely engulfed in flames.

“It was horrible and it smells where burnt wood and I’m guessing probably from where people were burned a little bit, I’ve never smelt that before, but it was pretty bad. The only thing left is like part of the tin roof, everything is just charred,” explained the neighbor.

Word of the tragedy spread fast in the rural area not too far from White Pigeon, with people already planning to come together to support the grieving family in any way they can.

“You know two young children have lost their life here in our neighborhood, so the first thing we need to do as Christians, as a church and as a community is come together for this family,” said Pastor Smith.

Multiple fire departments helped put out the flames Monday morning, but there is still no word on exactly what started it, or if any adults were with the children at the time.

Michigan State Police are leading the investigation.