Relative arrested after deadly fire • Teen basketball player dies after cardiac arrest • USFL Schedule

TUESDAY NEWS HIT - A family member is in police custody in connection with a deadly house fire that left a 6-year-old dead over the weekend.

Detroit police arrested a relative of the deceased over alleged child abandonment following the fatal fire.

The boy had been left alone in the home when the fire started, authorities said. 

Both firefighters and neighbors said the fire tore through the home quickly.

"Just an absolutely horrific story," said a neighbor. "People living on this street are devastated."

Detroit firefighters arrived in the 15800 block of Lindsey on Detroit's west side around 4:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon - within minutes of getting the call. However, by the time the arrived the fire had already engulfed the home.

Footage taken by a neighbor's cell phone showed smoke billowing from every opening in the home. 

At one point during the fire, the boy's mother arrived in a car. 

But at that point, it was too late. 

"When I thought the boy was in there, it was devastating because I've seen him every morning catching that bus," said the neighbor. "I'm pretty sure every neighbor would have run out and helped if they had known that baby was in that house."

MORE: 'He didn't deserve that': Mother of man found shot to death on freeway ramp wants justice

An investigation into the fire has pulled in both city and federal resources with the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Division investigating alongside the Detroit Police Department. 

It's unclear how the fire started, but authorities believe it began in the front of the home, likely in a bedroom.

Neighbors say the mother lived at the home with the boy and a dog for about five months before the fire. 

Police have declined to identify the relative arrested, only confirming the arrest was not for the fire but for child abandonment. 

Detroit teen dies in hospital after suffering cardiac arrest playing basketball

The Detroit Northwestern senior who suffered cardiac arrest playing basketball, has died. Cartier Woods died Monday according to a relative. The 18-year-old had been on life support at Henry Ford Hospital since Jan. 31, when he collapsed on the court.

Cartier's family recently held a vigil for him, where a large group of loved ones and friends offered prayers of hope for him.

Once he collapsed, someone administered CPR while paramedics used an Automated External Defibrillator on him and rushed him to the hospital. An athlete for years, Cartier was always healthy and strong - making his cardiac incident even harder to understand.

"He was very healthy - he loved basketball," said Shantell Woods, his cousin to FOX 2 last week. "He was very amenable, respectful. We're just asking for prayer - we need it." There is a GoFundMe to help Cartier's family HERE. "He was a very good person," his aunt, Dwanda Woods said. "He’d give anybody anything, if he had it."

USFL 2023 schedule: Here's when the Panthers play

The USFL has released the schedule for season two, but it will be a couple weeks for the Michigan Panthers to come home.

The Michigan Panthers begin the season with two away games against the Houston Gamblers at the Memphis hub for a noon kickoff on April 16, followed by a Week 2 game against the Philadelphia Stars at 7 p.m. April 23 at the Canton, Ohio hub.

In week three, the Panthers open up at Ford Field in Detroit against the New Jersey Generals at 4 p.m. April 30. The game starts a four-game stretch with the Panthers at home. The Panthers play weeks 7, 8, and 9 on the road before playing the season finale Week 10 at 7 p.m. June 18, hosting the Philadelphia Stars.

Individual ticket prices have not been released yet, but fans can go to the USFL.com "Tickets" section to make a $25 deposit to get priority access for host city games via Ticketmaster, the league said in a release.

See the full season schedule here.

Middle East earthquake hits home for Michigan refugee group

A number of Syrian families are heartbroken by a once-in-a-century earthquake. Thousands of miles away from the earthquake-ravaged Middle East, the devastation hits home for organizations like Samaritas.

Mihaela Mitrofan is the program director of new American services with Samaritas. Her team works with at least a couple of hundred Syrian refugees in Michigan. During a natural disaster, part of their work is to connect those refugees with family on the other side of the world.

"We have a partnership with The Red Cross, and they have a process for identifying family members and helping reunite with them," said Mitrofan. Mitrofan says the refugees wait months or years, before relocating to America. Some from Syria were expected to arrive stateside soon. The earthquake is another setback for Syrians looking to leave an already war-torn area.

If you want information on how to help Syrian and Turkish families impacted by the earthquake or help refugee families in need, you can find links:

To find the United Nations Refugee Agency, go HERE.

To learn more or donate to Samaritas, go here HERE.

Gordie Howe Bridge home swap program moves Detroit family into new house

A Detroit family of eight walked into their new home Monday as part of the Bridging Neighborhoods Home Swap Program.

"In 2017 the city of Detroit sold the land needed to complete the Gordie Howe Bridge to the bridge company in exchange for the money to move families out who wanted to move," Mayor Mike Duggan said. "So, we offered a chance to take any one of dozens of houses in the city of Detroit that were vacant, abandoned, owned by the land bank and the city would renovate them, and you swap the old house from the old neighborhood into a new house."

The Barajas family took the opportunity to move from their Delray home to a house in Southwest Detroit. "This is perfect for us, also a lot more safer. You have more neighbors around, people to watch over you,"George Barajas said.

A safer neighborhood is important for the Barajas. "Especially with my little sister. She is autistic, non-verbal, so we have to be a little more cautious with her," Beatriz Barajas said. They are the 70th family to participate in the program, with more houses getting fixed up.

Read more here.

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Daily Forecast

Are you ready for a warm-up? Temperatures are expected to hit or get near 50 degrees twice this week. Plan on scattered showers moving through twice as well. 

What else we're watching

1. Police say they have determined a motive in the case of three missing rappers who were found dead in an abandoned Highland Park apartment last week. Michigan State Police also said each man had multiple gunshot wounds. Read more about the latest updates here.
2. The mother of the man who was found shot to death on a freeway ramp is still struggling to understand how her 22-year-old son's life could have ended so suddenly. Korto Johnson spoke with FOX 2 about the tragedy here. 
3. Matt Ishbia, the owner of United Wholesale Mortgage, one of Southeast Michigan's two major lenders, has purchased the Phoenix Suns basketball team. Every owner voted to approve the purchase expect for one: cross-town rival Dan Gilbert, who owns the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage
4. A derailed Ohio tanker caused a release of toxic chemicals in an Ohio town. The incident happened on the border with Pennsylvania and required an evacuation from the area.
5. Canton Police are proposing a license plate reader at a busy intersection: Michigan Avenue and Beck Road. The idea will get public input tonight at a 7 p.m. board of trustees meeting.

State of the Union 2023: What to watch for during Biden's address

Look for new faces and fresh political dynamics as President Joe Biden delivers this year's State of the Union address, coupled with attention to some old problems brought back into painful focus by recent events.

The president on Tuesday night will stand before a joint session of Congress for the first time since voters in the midterm elections handed control of the House to Republicans. Biden, like presidents past, will make the case that the nation is strong and that better days lie ahead. But he finds himself in choppy waters as he passes the halfway mark of his term.

Read more about the pressing domestic and foreign issues facing Biden and his administration.