SAGINAW, MI (WNEM) -
Disaster struck in Saginaw after an 8-year-old boy died when his house went up in flames.
Now TV5 has learned the home off Cherry Street in Saginaw did not have smoke detectors.
Investigators said the fire started in the kitchen when someone was trying to make a meal, and quickly spread to the rest of the house.
The fire destroyed more than just material possessions. As TV5 reported over the weekend, it took the life of 8-year-old Chakur Tolbert. He was on the second floor of the home, unable to get out when the fire quickly spread.
Investigators on Monday concluded the blaze was an accident, that it broke out in the kitchen and that the home didn't have smoke detectors.
Kitchen fires can be especially dangerous and deadly. Ingredients such as cooking oil, when mixed with air and heat, can be as flammable as gasoline. A cooking oil fire can flare up to 10 feet in the air in just seconds.
Some people panic and try to get the pan to the sink. That gives the cooking oil a chance to spread. The absolute worst thing you can do is try to put a grease fire out with water.
Remember - use an oven mitt, put the lid back on the pan to smother the fire, then turn off the burner and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Fire investigators said to never ever leave a hot stove unattended.
And while Saginaw firefighters are calling the fire accidental, it quickly spread throughout the house and family members told TV5 they only have the clothes they were wearing then the fire broke out.
Relatives of Chakur are now left picking up the pieces and planning to bury a loved one.
The public can donate to Chakur's family at any local Citizens Bank. They money will go toward paying for the funeral and replacing many of the items they lost in the fire.
Chakur's funeral is set for Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Zion Missionary Baptist Church on Johnson Street in Saginaw.
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Chakur with his brothers and sisters. Chakur is wearing the checkered tie and vest.
