EMMETT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A 9-year-old girl was killed in a fire at a mobile home east of Battle Creek on Sunday.
The fire broke out just after 2 p.m. in the 600 block of Westbrook Avenue, east of N. Raymond Road in Emmett Township. The girl, Brettlyn Rench, was not able to escape. Brettlyn’s mother and her boyfriend got out and then tried to get back into the home to save the girl, but couldn’t, authorities said.
Emmett Township firefighters on the scene said the mobile home was fully involved in the fire by the time they arrived. They said they attacked the fire quickly so they could search for Brettlyn, who they found dead in the back of the home.
“When our first arriving crew got here, we discovered there was still a small child that was inside the structure,” Emmett Township Department of Public Safety Lt. Tony Geigle said. “Our teams went in and we were able to locate and recover a 9-year-old girl.”
Brettlyn’s mother, 44-year-old Melinda Girdham, was hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation and remained in critical condition in a Kalamazoo hospital on Monday. Her boyfriend, 43-year-old James Sparks, was also hospitalized with burns and smoke inhalation, was treated and released.
Two firefighters also sustained minor injuries as they responded to the fire. Both were treated on scene.
The home was destroyed.
The fire is not considered suspicious. Monday, Geigle confirmed to 24 Hour News 8 that it appears to have been caused by a mechanical problem.-24 Hour News 8’s Kendal Pektas contributed to this report.