5 people killed in suburban Detroit house fire

Firefighters arrived at the residence, located in the 23000 block of Mystic Forest Drive, about 9:30 a.m. Sunday and saw smoke coming from the basement.

Authorities say five restaurant workers were killed in the house fire near Detroit. David Molloy, the city’s director of Public Safety and chief of police, said that after extinguished the fire and entered the home, the five occupants where found in the basement.

The victims appear to be in their late 20s and early 30s. “Nothing tragic like this has ever happened in the neighborhood”.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Molloy says he’s also trying to learn more details about the victims and if they were in the country legally. Because of the damage from the fire, identifying the victims “could be an extensive process”, Molloy said.

Officials said the medical examiner is expected to conduct autopsies on the victims Monday. According to investigators, no one got out of the house and they were all in the basement at the time of the fire.