DETROIT (WXYZ) — A fire engulfed multiple houses on Dwyer Street near 7 Mile from Detroit's east side overnight, with a couple of homes burned to the ground. Thankfully, no one was injured.
And about eight miles away, just hours later, crews responded to another house fire, this one on Ashland Street near Vernor Highway. A mother, father, and 15 kids got out of the house safely.
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The families scrambled to get out of their homes while fire spread. The first fire started with what used to be homes, spreading until it caught the roof and attic of this home, where a family and three small kids slept. Their neighbors banging on the door helped get them out.
"It was too much. It happened so fast," said homeowner Joel Whitner.
Whitner is still processing waking up to his Dwyer Street neighbors banging on his doors, not once, but twice.
"Then the dog barked again. I saw them on the porch like y’all gotta get out," Whitner said. To make sure, knowing that we’re in the house. They know we’re in the house. They didn’t give up on us, and I thank them for that. I thank God for that."
Joel didn't know his roof and part of his attic were burning, as a fire spread down his block. His wife and three little ones were sound asleep, and his aunt was also in the home.
"I’ve never felt heat that close, and to see it hit my house and to think my animals, my wife, my kids are in here," Whitner said. "It’s just me trying to get everybody out the house, it’s just insane. I’m trying to hold it all together right now...from what the neighbors say. It started off with the middle house. These houses have been empty for a long long time."
You can donate to help the Whitner family at this link.
How the fire started is still under investigation, but fire officials on scene say it broke out just before 1 a.m. The two homes burned down to the foundation, fully engulfed and collapsing when crews arrived. The Dwyer Street fire damaged five homes in total.
Then, around 3 a.m., and 15 minutes away on Ashland Street, Adrienne Marlow and her partner woke up smelling smoke and burning wires.
"I have 15 kids that were in the house," Adrienne Marlow said. "I went to each room and snatched them up. Make sure I got them out safely and then ran back in to get them some coats and shoes to get on."
Adrienne's kids are all between three and early 20s. This fire started upstairs, with Adrienne saying it spread from a room with three little girls to a bathroom. Everyone in both homes made it out okay, but now, two families are wondering what their Christmas and futures will look like.
"A little sad because it’s so close to Christmas and I have nowhere to really take my kids," Adrienne said.
"The side of my house is destroyed. I’m just trying to figure it out right now," Joel said. "It’s a lot to take in. I’m just hoping God will answer some prayers because I’m really going to need them answered right now."
A spokesperson for the Detroit Fire Department said that one firefighter had to be treated for an injury that happened while fighting the fire. The cause of this fire is also under investigation.
The cold is also a hurdle for firefighters; a hydrant on Dwyer was frozen when crews first tried tapping it. The Red Cross is helping Joel and his family, but Adrienne had not been contacted as of 6 a.m.
