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Michigan brothers, ages 9 and 11, killed in house fire before school

The boys, in fourth and fifth grades, ran upstairs to escape flames and smoke, but got trapped and were found incapacitated at their home in Grosse Pointe, a Detroit suburb.

Two brothers, ages 9 and 11, got trapped in a fire at their Michigan home Monday morning and died despite desperate rescue efforts by their mother and neighbors.

The fourth- and fifth-grade boys were home when the fire broke out, according to NBC affiliate WDIV.

A house fire in Grosse Pointe, Mich., killed two children on Oct. 28, 2019.
A house fire in Grosse Pointe, Mich., killed two children on Oct. 28, 2019.WDIV

Officials told WDIV that the boys ran upstairs to escape the flames and smoke after they saw the blaze. But they got trapped and were found incapacitated.

The boys had called their mother, who rushed home, but she and neighbors could not safely get inside the house as the fire roared.

Investigators believe the fire may have started in the kitchen.

A prayer vigil for the children is planned for Wednesday evening at St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church.