Person of interest questioned in apartment fire that killed 5 on Detroit's east side

DETROIT (WJBK) - WEB UPDATE: A person of interest is being questioned in the deadly apartment fire which killed five people Wednesday, reports Hannah Saunders.

Stay with FOX 2 for more updates as they become available, the original story begins below.

Five people have been killed in an apartment fire on Detroit's east side Wednesday afternoon, a source with the fire department tells FOX 2. At least four others have been injured.

The fire happened at an apartment complex on Whittier Avenue at Beaconsfield Street, which is near I-94. One man died in the hospital, the four others died at the scene. The high winds made the fire more difficult to fight.

Multiple other people were rescued from the flames. The conditions of the five people who were injured are not known at this time. 

"When we got here there were four people that had jumped out the windows," said David Fornell, deputy DFD commissioner. "First companies on the scene found heavy fire, the wind was coming from the rear, and it was actually driving the fire through the building. So they had a real hard time getting in there and getting lines on the fire to knock it down."

The fire started at about 1:30 in the afternoon. Residents called FOX 2 as they waited for firefighters to arrive, concerned there were some dogs still trapped inside, quickly learning the situation was much more serious.

"There's been a tremendous amount of fires today. Wires down, we've been extremely busy," Fornell said.

Video circulated online taken by a man called "Alex Fire Chaser" shows firefighters quickly trying to save who they can, even pulling one person from the building. 

It's not known yet what caused the fire, or if the cause may be weather related. The metro Detroit area is currently under a High Wind Warning, and gusts of winds have knocked down tree limbs and power lines. More than 200,000 people are also currently without power.

230,000 without power in Metro Detroit as strong winds blow

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 2 for updates.