Michigan Family of 4 Perish In House Fire

Two little Michigan boys and their parents are dead after a violent fire tore through their Detroit-area home Tuesday morning.

Firefighters arrived at the scene in Hamtramck shortly before 2 a.m. to battle the fire burning in the back of the house, the Associated Press reported. But the intensity of the flames held them back and by the time crews reached the second floor the family was found dead, fire officials said.

"This is very tragic for everyone," Paul Wilk, chief of Hamtramck firefighters, told the AP. "And something where we have to worry about not only the family but the guys, the firefighters, and how it affects them in the future."

Family members identified the victims as 46-year-olds James and Freddye Parker, their 11-year-old son, James Jr., and 7-year-old son, Jarred. Authorities are holding back in making an official identification until Wednesday.

Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire that completely charred the two-story home's windows and destroyed the roof.

Those close to the Parkers, who went by Randy and Dee, said they were devoted parents who encouraged their kids and other youth in the community to play sports.

"Randy and Dee did a great job of going out and mobilizing that entire community around football, basketball and baseball," Detroit PAL Athletic Director DeWayne Jones said, according to the AP.

Kimberly Smith-Anderson, who knew the family, traveled to the Parkers' home after she heard news of the fire, the Detroit Free Press reported. She said she hasn't seen Dee Parker in a while but once went shopping with her.

"I'm just going to miss them," Smith-Anderson said. "I haven't seen them in about six months, but the love that they had will stay with me a long time."

Tags

House fire, Michigan, Firefighters