Grandmother suffers serious injuries trying to save toddler from Detroit house fire

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A 72-year-old woman suffered serious injuries when she went back into a Detroit house fire looking for her grandchild.

Rashida Marshall’s home caught fire March 19.

"I heard one of my daughters scream, ‘The house is on fire,’" she said. 

Marshall ran downstairs, where curtains were on fire.

Marshall said her three children and mother were home. They tried to extinguish the fire before working to get outside. When they got out, Marshall said her 5-year-old daughter Amara wasn’t with them.

"I said, ‘Where’s the baby?’" she said. "I ran in about six times."

Marshall said firefighters told her to come out. She was able to find Amara hiding under the table and get her outside. However, she had no idea her mother went back inside looking for the girl.

Marshall’s mother suffered injuries that require surgery.

"She suffered lots of throat burns," Marshall said.

Amara also suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.

The blaze destroyed the home and the family didn’t have insurance, so they are asking for help getting back on their feet.

A GoFundMe account has been created to collect donations.

Detroit police have finished an investigation into the fire. Officials said one of the children admitted to using a lighter to set the curtains on fire.