Early Monday morning, October 9, 2023, around 2 a.m., a house fire broke out in Kalamazoo, Michigan, resulting in the death of two children. An adult and another child managed to escape the home.
The two victims were identified as Evelyn Blackport, 4, and her brother, Elliot James Blackport, 7. The firefighters were met with fire on the first floor, which quickly spread to the second floor.
Ciara Coleman, a nearby resident, recalled the adult escapee shouting that his children were trapped inside the burning structure. Antawn Perkins, another neighbor who alerted 911, witnessed a distressed woman, presumably the mother of the children, seeking help to get her children out of the house.
Perkins added, “The firefighters tried to run up in the house to get the kids, but the flames were too much for them.” Coleman noted that the fire was so severe it took firefighters over an hour to contain, and they had to prevent the children’s mother from re-entering the home.
The origin of the fire is currently under investigation by officials. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety has issued a press statement, extending their sincere condolences to the affected families.
In a touching gesture, neighbor Crystal Baldwin placed a stuffed animal in front of the charred house. Shocked by the event, Baldwin shared her remorse for the grieving mother. Perkins revealed that the family had only been residents of the neighborhood for about a month.