Tragedy struck an extended stay motel in Sodus Township early today killing a woman and all five of her children around two o’clock in the morning.
The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department says that at 1:45am the Berrien County Central Dispatch Office received a 911 call of a fire at the Cosmo Extended Living Hotel, located at 2699 S. M-139 at the I-94 interchange across from Sonic.
When the first responders arrived at the scene, they discovered that the hotel was filled with flames and smoke.
The first responders began to evacuate the building and the fire was extinguished by the fire department personnel.
Several individuals were transported to Lakeland Medical Center and six individuals are confirmed to be deceased as a result of this fire.
The victims were a 26 year old female and five children, ages two thru ten. The victims were from one family.
At the time of fire, twenty-seven rooms were occupied at the extended living facility, and now the American Red Cross is working on finding shelter for the displaced individuals.
The Michigan State Police Fire Marshall Division is assisting the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office in determining the cause and origin of the fire. The investigation is on-going and authorities say that further information will be provided as it’s received.
Preliminary estimates show that approximately 90-percent of the rooms and this location sustained smoke, fire, or water damage.
