HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A fire ripped through a home on Belmont near Conant in Hamtramck just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, hollowing out the nearly century-old structure and sending four people to the hospital.
Ten people lived in the home, including three children. All escaped alive.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report below:
Muneer Abuhamra, a resident of the home, described a harrowing escape as flames closed in around him.
"I woke up, flames was literally this close to my face. In order for me to get out was, putting my hand to my face while looking down, running, had to bang on all the doors," Abuhamra said.
Two adult residents were taken to a nearby hospital. Abuhamra said one is his sister-in-law, who suffered smoke inhalation, and the other is his brother, who broke his back jumping from the second-floor balcony to escape the flames.
"He struck a hard landing, so he's in the hospital. I don't know how he's doing ... he fell from the second balcony; there was no way for him to have a good landing," Abuhamra said.
"He had no way, but to just, you know, jump. Better than him just burning alive. You know?" Abuhamra said.
Web Extra: Watch our full interview with a resident below
Two responding firefighters were also injured. Hamtramck Fire Chief Matt Wyszczelski said one firefighter from Detroit, a mutual aid partner, suffered a burn to his hand, and one Hamtramck firefighter was hospitalized for heat exhaustion. All four injured are expected to recover.
Wyszczelski said fast response time and assistance from Detroit firefighters were critical in getting the fire under control. He said the age and construction of the home contributed to how quickly the fire spread.
"Our homes here, most of them were built after the turn of the century, and they're balloon frame construction and that allows fire to travel from the basement to the attic unimpeded based on the nature of construction," Wyszczelski said.
Wyszczelski described the blaze as one of the more devastating fires the department has seen in recent years.
"Fires are down. People are being safer. They're more conscientious of what's going on. It's just a matter of having a house occupied with so many people and buttoned up in this time of day," Wyszczelski said. "Just looking back on this, everyone check your smoke alarms. Make sure you have working smoke alarms in your home. Smoke alarms do save lives."
As firefighters dug through the wreckage, residents salvaged what they could.
"It's a miracle, man. That's all that matters to us is the kids. That's all. This can all get replaced - family can't," Abuhamra said.
An online fundraiser has been set up to help the family get back on their feet. The Red Cross is also assisting.
Investigators are still working to determine exactly where and how the fire started.
—————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
