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Man dead after fire engulfs home on Detroit's southwest side

By Jack Nissen
Published  December 29, 2022 7:34am EST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

Southwest Detroit fire kills man

A man is dead after his Southwest Detroit man's house caught fire. He was the only one home at the time of the fire.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - One person was killed after a home became engulfed in flames on Detroit's southwest side. 

The Detroit Fire Department said it had pulled the body of a man, who was disabled and used a wheelchair, from the home. There were fears that there may have been more victims, but they later said only one person was home.

Community Relations Chief James Harris said firefighters took a defensive position when they arrived due to the intensity of the fire. Soon after they arrived, the roof of the home collapsed.

"We got a call around 4:45 this morning about a dwelling fire in the 4000 block of Florida Street," he said. "When they arrived, they saw fire coming out of the roof and flames going everywhere."

It took a couple of hours before crews got the fire under control. By 7 a.m., it was only hot spots that firefighters were managing. 

The Wayne County Medical Examiner was soon called out to the home. 

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A neighbor that lives across from the home said she woke up to the sound of cats in front of her home. But about 10 minutes later, she noticed the whole front of her house was lit up. 

"I screamed for my husband that the whole front of the house was engulfed," said Wanda Chandler. "Within a five-minute period, it's horrible. The house is gone. Everything is gone."

Chandler had tears in her eyes as she was speaking, worried about the residents that occupied the home. A woman in her 50s and a man in his 60s, both who are wheelchair users, stayed at the home. 

Wanda Chandler, a neighbor who lives in the 4000 block of Florida Street in Detroit. 

"Right now, I'm really tore up and hurt because I know there were handicapped people in the house," Chandler said. "I'm praying they're not there, but it's not looking good because the wheelchairs are out front."

Chandler said she had known the residents since she moved into her home. She also said the woman was a bit of a hoarder and the house might have been full of items when the fire went up.