Macomb County house fire leads to teen suspect arrested, community gives back

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A teenager has been accused of starting a house fire in Macomb County with a family still inside.

What they're saying:

The Macomb County investigators and prosecutor are working to decide whether to charge the 17-year-old suspect as an adult or not. Meanwhile, the family is trying to move forward with help from the community, with donations pouring in.

Michelle Wilson is still trying to grasp losing her home. Her family, including her grandbabies, two 9-month-olds, and a newborn, were inside when she says a teen her family knew used fireworks to set it on fire.

The backstory:

It happened Thursday around 3 AM when Michelle and her family barely escaped through the back of the house.

Wilson says it was a prank that led to the fire.

"A prank turned into, almost kids losing their life if we didn’t get out in time," she said.

Macomb County investigators say a 17-year-old boy was behind the fire. The sheriff’s office told FOX 2 the teen is in custody at the juvenile detention center, waiting to face a judge this week.

Dig deeper:

Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido was unable to provide details of what happened, but his team is in the process of deciding whether to charge the teen as an adult.

"You’re talking about potentially having an impact on their entire future. Unfortunately, sometimes you almost have to impact their entire future depending on the severity of the crime, and this was pretty severe," said Lucido. "These were young children, and a mother doesn’t need to go through that, especially when she’s already had tough times."

What you can do:

The mother was a recent domestic violence survivor and is hoping her family can find a new home, seeking help through her GoFundMe page.

"Feels loved," she said. "It really does. The community is really coming together to try to help us get back to where we were. Everything’s been a blessing."