BERRIEN COUNTY (WKZO AM/FM) — Five children and their mother have been killed in a deadly motel fire near Benton Harbor.
Firefighters were dispatched at about 1:45 Sunday morning, when most of the patrons at the Cosmo Extended Stay Motel were sleeping.
Arriving firefighters found the structure fully engulfed in flames. While most of the occupants escaped, the woman and her five kids apparently expired from smoke inhalation.
Deputy Chief Robert Boyce says the father and another child were able to escape and are now heartbroken and hospitalized.
The children who died ranged in age from 2 to 10. No names have been released.
The State Police Fire Marshal is on the scene, assisting the County Sheriffs office in looking for the cause.
