Grand Haven Township fire leaves 8 dead, including 6 children
Authorities found eight people dead after a Michigan house fire, with some victims suffering gunshot wounds, officials said.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
The Grand Haven Township fire that left eight people dead, including six children, is being treated as a suspicious and complex case after authorities found some victims with gunshot wounds, law enforcement said Friday.
Police and firefighters were called to a burning home in Grand Haven Township, Michigan, shortly before noon, according to the Associated Press. After crews entered the house, they discovered the bodies inside, Capt. Jacob Sparks of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said at an evening news conference.
Sparks said investigators had not yet fully identified all of the victims and did not have official causes of death. The children found dead were between 5 and 15 years old, he said.
Authorities did not say how many of the eight victims had been shot. Sparks described the home as a complicated scene for investigators.
What happened in the Grand Haven Township fire?
According to the Associated Press, emergency crews responded to a house fire in Grand Haven Township and found eight people dead inside. Authorities said some of the victims had gunshot wounds, but they had not released a final cause of death for each person.
Sparks said investigators were not searching for any outside suspects. He said one theory being considered so far is murder-suicide, and that everyone who lived in the home appeared to be dead.
The fire itself is also under scrutiny. Sparks said authorities considered it suspicious and had reason to believe it was set intentionally.
Michigan State Police arson investigators were helping at the scene, Sparks said. No further details about how the fire began were released.
Where is Grand Haven Township?
Grand Haven Township is on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, about 25 miles west of Grand Rapids. The community has a population of about 18,000, according to the Associated Press.
Investigators had not released the victims’ names by Friday evening. Authorities also had not provided a timeline for when identifications or official causes of death might be completed.
The case remains under investigation by local law enforcement, fire officials and state arson investigators.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.