Michigan House Fire Leaves 2 Dead, 5 Injured, 1 Missing

January 19, 2022

Two men died and five people were injured early Monday in a fire at a multi-family dwelling in Pontiac, authorities said.

Eleven adults were in the home when the fire was reported around 2:44 a.m., Oakland County Sheriff’s Department officials said. They said the two-story home was fully engulfed in flames when deputies and firefighters arrived at the scene.

Some people jumped to safety from the second story of the home. They included a 36-year-old man who said he instructed his stepson _ a 19-year-old with autism who was staying with his stepfather _ to follow him out the window. The stepson refused to jump and wasn’t seen exiting the home, authorities said. They said he has not been accounted for.

A fire investigator is still working to determine the cause of the blaze.

Authorities said one of the men who died was found in a second-floor bedroom. The other was in the first-floor kitchen. Neither man has been identified.

The injured included two men, ages 67 and 68, who were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation. A 58-year-old man suffered a broken leg, authorities said. The other injuries were not life-threatening.

Pontiac is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Detroit.