Fire at grandma’s house kills boy, 5, as mom recovers from childbirth at hospital

Catherine Jun / The Detroit News

DETROIT — Just three days ago, Andrea Hodge gave birth to her ninth child, a boy — a priceless gift for Mother’s Day.

On Sunday, her joy turned to grief when she learned from her hospital room that a fire had erupted at his grandmother’s home in east Detroit and killed Hodge’s 5-year-old son, Kavon Williams.

“I can’t even put it into words,” Hodge, 37, of Warren said in a phone interview from her room at Sinai-Grace Hospital. “I’m telling you, Mother’s Day will definitely never be the same.”

Authorities say the fire erupted about 3:30 a.m. Sunday on the first floor of a duplex in the 3900 block of St. Claire.

Kavon was staying in the second level with his grandmother, Barbara Hodge, 65, while his mother recuperated in the hospital, Andrea Hodge said.

The grandmother awoke to the smell of smoke and she and several of Kavon’s siblings who were staying at the home — Andre, 17, Kayla, 3, and Karli Williams, 2 — all managed to escape.

When fire trucks arrived, the home was ablaze and Kavon was still inside, said Deputy Fire Chief Reginald Amos of the Detroit Fire Department.

“It’s a sad situation,” Amos said. “Our prayers go out to the family.”

Rescuers ran inside the building and found the boy. He was transported to Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Amos said.

Barbara Hodge was admitted to Sinai-Grace later that day for carbon monoxide inhalation. Andre Williams also checked into the emergency room by Sunday afternoon, complaining of breathing problems.

Fire officials have yet to determine the cause of the blaze. Authorities say the first floor of the duplex was vacant, but squatters could have been residing there. Initial reports did not indicate whether there were smoke alarms in the building.

The city fire department’s arson unit is investigating.

Outside the charred brick building Sunday, children’s bicycles lay strewn on the front lawn alongside a door torn from its hinges.

On the porch, teddy bears and a cardboard sign made up a makeshift memorial to Kavon:

“You will be missed Little One.”

Survivors are staying with relatives in Metro Detroit.

The tragedy, officials say, is an all-too-common story as a strained city fire department deals with record numbers of fires, many sparked in old, abandoned homes with outdated wiring.

In 2004, Detroit firefighters extinguished 10,288 fires. Broken down per firefighter, Detroit rescuers battle twice as many fires as their counterparts in New York.

“It’s getting kind of rough out there,” said Amos. “We’re doing the best we can with what we have to work with.”

The birth of Kavon Williams, family members recalled, was greeted with excitement five years ago. His sisters were thrilled to have a little brother.

His mother described him as “happy” and “bright-eyed” and about to start kindergarten this year.

And like many little boys, he also had a thing for Sponge Bob SquarePants.

“He wanted me to name my baby Sponge Bob,” Hodge recalled.

You can reach Catherine Jun at (248) 647-7429 or cjun@detnews.com.