6-year-old boy dies in Detroit house fire; relative arrested for child abandonment

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Investigators are still working to uncover the cause of a house fire that left a 6-year-old dead over the weekend.

"The house was in flames like within seconds," a neighbor said.

Detroit Firefighters responded to the 15800 block of Lindsey Street on Detroit's west side around 4 p.m. after getting a 911 call.

Detroit Fire Chief James Harris said crews were dispatched after getting the call. They did "an awesome job responding, but unfortunately, it was too late when we arrived," he said.

"This is a very unfortunate situation. It's the worst nightmare, it's the worst scenario you can have as a firefighter," he added.

By the time crews had arrived, the home was already engulfed in flames, according to authorities, giving them little chance of recovering the boy. 

He reportedly died of smoke inhalation.

Neighbors say he was, and they saw his mother rushing home as the house burned. 

"I’m pretty sure every neighbor over here would have ran out and helped her had they known that baby was in the house, but we had no clue until the mother pulled up to the scene," a neighbor said.

A family member is now in custody for child abandonment. It hasn't been confirmed if it was the mother. 

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The cause of the fire is still unknown. 

"We are still in the preliminary stages of the investigation," Harris said. "We did hear there may have been someone else in the house, but like I said, we are still investigating."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it is assisting with the investigation. 

Authorities are hoping the public may have some of the answers they are looking for. If you know anyone about the blaze, please call investigators at 313-596-2940.