Cause of fatal fire unknown

Fire investigators have ruled out arson as a cause for a house fire that killed a family of four.

Fire investigators have ruled out arson as a cause for a house fire that killed a family of four.

By Charles Sercombe
Investigators say they cannot pinpoint the cause of a house fire that killed a family of four on Feb. 17.
But one possibility has been ruled out: Arson.
In a press release issued on Wednesday (March 11), Hamtramck Fire Chief Paul Wilk said: “There is no evidence or indication of a deliberately set fire.”
The fire, which erupted in the rear of a two-story house in the 5000 block of Yemans, took the lives of James and Freddye Parker, both 47, and their two sons, James Jr., 11, and Jarrad, 7.
Three adult children who did not live at the house are among the survivors.
Wilk said the extent of destruction hampered the investigation. He said at the fire scene on Feb. 17 that there was gas-powered yard equipment being stored in the enclosed back porch.
There were also propane tanks in the area.
Wilk said investigators could not determine if there was a space heater plugged in, which could have contributed to a fire being ignited.
Wilk said it took awhile before neighbors called in the fire. There was a good reason for that.
“The substantial structural destruction at the back of the house, coupled with the smoke and soot staining that covered the rest of the walls and surfaces within the interior of the house, is indicative of a fire that burned for a prolonged period of time before discovery,” Wilk said in the press release.
“The added probability of items stored on the rear porch accelerated the fire.”
Wilk also said “the fact that there was the presence of electrical equipment and the power supply on the rear porch, electrical or mechanical ignition sources could not be ruled out.”
A fundraiser was held to help the remaining family members.
James and Freddye Parker were active with the Detroit Police Athletic League, and James coached little league football.

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