GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Court documents show police believe a house fire that killed a mother and three boys started in an outdoor fire pit placed about six feet from the home.
Robert Keith Scales, 38, faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deadly fire on Dawes Avenue SE. He was arraigned on the charges last week.
Scales' wife, Wanedia Scales, 34, his stepson, Xavier Woldeab, 15, and his two biological children Robert Scales, Jr., 13 and Elijah Scales, 9, all died in the fire that happened on Feb. 5.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Robert Scales told police he started a fire in an outdoor fire pit earlier in the day. He said the fire went out on its own by 5 or 6 p.m., and that he left for work around 8:30 p.m.
A witness, who said she had come to visit Wanedia Scales that night, told police she saw the fire still burning at 7 p.m. that night, according to court records.
Investigators found a mattress in between the fire pit and the home when they responded to the fatal fire. Robert Scales told police he had previously damaged the mattress.
Another witness, a business partner of Robert Scales, told police that Scales had been burning some leaves in the pit from a job they had done. According to the court records, the two operated a junk hauling business together and the witness said Robert Scales often burned things in the fire pit. The business partner said he had seen Scales start the fire with starter logs that night.
The document also says there were no working smoke detectors in the house.
Scales is out on bond and his next court appearance is set for June 30 at 9:30 a.m.
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