Michigan fire leaves eight dead, including six children; gunshot wounds reported

Ottawa County officials probe suspicious blaze as murder-suicide

Police and fire personnel responded just before noon Friday to a house fire in Grand Haven Township, about 25 miles west of Grand Rapids on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. When they entered the home, they found the bodies of eight people, including six children and two adults, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office.

Capt. Jacob Sparks of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said at an evening news conference that some of the victims had gunshot wounds. He did not specify how many.

“It’s a complicated scene, a complex scene,” Sparks said.

Sparks said authorities have not fully identified all the victims and do not have an official cause of death for them. The children ranged in age from 5 to 15, he said.

Sparks said everyone who lived in the home appeared to be deceased. He said investigators are not looking for outside suspects and that one theory under consideration is a murder-suicide.

Sparks described the fire as “suspicious” and said there is reason to believe it was intentionally set. Michigan State Police arson investigators are assisting on scene, he said.

The investigation is ongoing.