Grandmother and twin 3-year-olds killed in early morning house fire

DETROIT (WJBK) - A devastating house fire killed three family members in Detroit overnight.

The home on Lahser was engulfed in flames killing 46-year-old Michelle Ford and her twin three-year-old grandsons - Jayceon and Jaysean Ford - killed in the fire.

"The sweetest little twin boys - just the sweetest little twin boys," said Dominique Perkins, a neighbor.

"The kids, they play every day - they are out playing every day," said John Holley, a neighbor.

Neighbors are shocked. The little boys they see outside all the time are gone, along with their grandmother. Their children's toys are in the yard all that's left.

Investigators say based on what they found once that fire was out - that grandmother was trying to save her grandsons.

"Once the fire was knocked down, the stairs were burned away - they had to put a ladder to get to the second floor," said Dave Fornell, deputy fire commissioner. "And once they did, they discovered the three victims. And the grandmother was holding one of the children she was trying to get to the stairs."

But the fire was too intense and they were likely overcome by smoke. There were no working smoke alarms except one in the basement, which was very faint.

"They said the smoke was very rancid, very thick, so it was very hard to see up there," Fornell said.

In all, 12 people were in the home, nine made it out but 4-year-old Samej, the brother of the twins was hospitalized in critical condition with burns to his head, neck and arms.

The family is staying by his bedside at Detroit Children's Hospital of Michigan. 

Investigators say the fire started in the kitchen possibly a faulty stove.

The fire department is reminding everyone of the importance of working smoke detectors as a neighborhood grieves for those gone too soon.

"They're like family, like everybody knows them and everybody loves them they will be missed," Perkins said. "It is real sad."

And the family will need help with the burials CLICK HERE to donate to the family's GoFundMe page.