7 People Escape House Fire In Royal Oak; 5 Hospitalized

ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - Several members of a Royal Oak family are recovering at the hospital after their home caught fire overnight.

The blaze took off around 2:30 a.m. Thursday at a home on Mace Avenue, near I-75 and 11 Mile Road.

"There were seven people in the house at the time of the fire and we've transported five to the hospital," Fire Chief Chuck Thomas told WWJ's Mike Campbell.

Thomas said most of those taken to the hospital suffered smoke inhalation, but others were more seriously injured.

"A 15-year-old jumped out a second floor window with their 37-year-old father, and the others that went to the hospital I think were in their 40s and 60s," he said.

Firefighters battled single digit temperatures with wind chills well below zero, but got some help from the Madison Heights fire department.

"The cold does hamper everything because you can't work as fast, but we do the best we can with the personnel we have and we were able to get to the fire," Thomas said.

Crews were able to rescue one of the family's dogs, but another dog and a cat died in the fire.

The fire appears to have started on the first floor, although the cause remains under investigation.