A family has a neighbor to thank after saving their young child from a house fire. Sadly, the story doesn’t have a fully happy ending; the child’s older sibling died as a result of the fire. By the time the neighbor saw the younger child, the house was fully engulfed in flames, making rescue difficult. But the neighbor tried hard to get to family members who were still inside the house while waiting for firefighters to arrive.
Once there, firefighters faced challenges because of the freezing temperatures, but they were ultimately able to get the fire out. Currently, it is unknown how the fire started.
Shortly before 6 a.m. December 14, 2025, firefighters were called to the home after a report that a woman and her two young children were possibly trapped inside, WDIV reported.
“I looked out the window, it’s 6 in the morning and I’m like ‘what’s that baby doing outside with a pull up on,’” neighbor Marcus Hutton told the outlet.
As soon as Hutton, who lives next door, saw the little boy outside, he immediately sprang to action. He claimed he “didn’t even put on no pants” before running out of the house to bring the 4-year-old boy inside.
When firefighters got to the home, they were warned that another child was still inside. According to the fire department, the 6-year-old sibling suffered from severe burns and died after being taken to the hospital, WXYZ reported.
The mom was listed in critical condition, while the 4-year-old was treated for smoke inhalation, but is expected to recover.
“It’s always sad whenever we lose somebody, but when it is a child, it really hits home to all of us,” Detroit Senior Fire Chief Leo Spitzig told WXYZ.
WDIV reported that audio from dispatch captured the moment firefighters realized one of the fire hydrants wasn’t working, making it harder to combat the fire. “One of the hydrants on the corner was out of service frozen,” Spitzig confirmed. “But that was not a factor.”
Neighbor Charlotte Baker spoke with WXYZ, sharing that her house was singed from the house fire. “That’s just horrible, right before Christmas to lose a kid, anybody to lose family, that’s horrible,” she said, adding that she would “pray” for the mother.
The reason for the fire is unknown, but it is under investigation. In the meantime, Spitzig used the house fire to remind people about the dangers of space heaters as it gets cold.
