GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Investigators spent much of Friday looking for the cause of a Thursday evening house fire on the city's Northeast Side that killed a two-year-old girl.
The victim was identified as Jazelle Thomas-Whitfield. She is the first person to die in a Grand Rapids house fire this year.
Grand Rapids Police and the Grand Rapids Fire Department are investigating the circumstances of the fire.
The blaze was reported about 7:30 p.m. on Dale Street west of Plainfield Avenue NE in the city's Creston Heights neighborhood.
Balloons, flowers and a Teddy bear decorated the front steps of the two-story rental home as Grand Rapids Fire Department investigators worked inside Friday afternoon.
A cause has not been determined, but fire officials say they believe the fire got its start in the rear of the house. A home next door suffered exposure damage.
Sadie Hollenbeck, who lives upstairs, said rescue efforts were thwarted by flames and smoke.
"We hear the people downstairs screaming there is a fire and they were looking for their little girl," Hollenbeck said. "The tried to go back in, but there was too much smoke."
Grand Rapids Fire Chief John Lehman said the two-year-old girl was found in a back bedroom on the first floor.
"The parents stated that they attempted to get to the rear bedroom, but there was too much fire,'' he said. "This fire had a very big head start on us before we got here."
The other occupants of the home were able to safely escape after being alerted by smoke detectors.
"We want to emphasize that smoke detectors did end up making a difference for this family. And we want to make sure that everybody checks that,'' Lehman said. "That is something that did make a difference here, but unfortunately it did not make a difference for everybody."
Fire crews were able to knock down the blaze in about 15 minutes.
The cause and origin of the fire remains under investigation. The family is getting help from friends and relatives; they've also been offered help through the American Red Cross.
There is a a GoFundMe set up for the family. It states that the toddler's mother and her other four children were able to get out of the house. The money raised from the GoFundMe will go toward funeral expenses and for the family's living expenses.
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