Hazel Park house fire kills man's wife of 40 years, mother-in-law

Hazel Park man loses his wife, mother-in-law to house fire

Incredibly, tragedy is not new to Jeff Carnes. In April 2001 he lost his brother-in-law to Covid and two months later, he lost his 32-year-old son Josh also to Covid.

MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A woman and her mother were killed last week in a Hazel Park house fire last Friday

The family's grieving husband, Jefferry Carnes, is now opening up about the tragedy for the first time.

FOX 2: "Jeff what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know, I have no clue," he said.

Carnes, 57, was two hours away working on installing a parking lot for his employer Villanova when he got a call that something was wrong.

"I called my wife. There was nothing on the phone," he said. "So I called the police department, gave them my address and told him I was two hours away and they told me to find my way home."

There had not been a fatal fire in Hazel Park in a decade. But on Muir Avenue, near 8 Mile and Dequindre, two women died.

The victims were Carnes’ mother-in-law -80-year-old Pat McCormick, and Jeff’s wife Carol, whom he had been married to for 40 years.

"She was everything to me," he said.

The total loss is technically still being investigated, but it appears careless smoking by Carnes' mother-in-law may have been the cause.

"She caught the house on fire a couple times before I left," he said.

FOX 2: "But your wife tried to save her mother."

"Yes," he said.

FOX 2: "But in the process lost her life."

"It’s just the way we are," he said.

Incredibly, tragedy is not new to Carnes. In April 2001 he lost his brother-in-law to Covid and two months after, he lost his 32-year-old son Josh, also to Covid.

Besides losing his wife and mother-in-law, Jeff lost his cat and two kittens in this recent fire.

"I lost everything. I lost everything that meant something to me except for my grandkids and kids," he said.

Carnes is staying with his sister Rhonda in Macomb Township - the six grandkids visit often. A GoFundMe has been set up to help him. Go HERE FOR THE LINK.

FOX 2: "What would you say to Carol your wife right now?"

"I miss her," he said.

Services will take place sometime in August.