Eight dead, including 6 children, in US house fire. Murder-suicide case suspected

Eight people, including six children, lost their lives inside a home in Grand Haven Township, Michigan, after a fire erupted on Friday. During the incident, some of the victims were found with gunshot wounds. In response, police and fire crews responded soon after the house fire in the township, located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.

Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jacob Sparks stated that officials had not yet completely identified all the victims and the official cause of death for the victims is not yet known. He confirmed that the six children discovered dead fall in the age group of 5 to 15; however, he did not specify how many of the eight victims had gunshot wounds. “It’s a complicated scene, a complex scene,” Sparks said, according to AP.

Investigators aren't pursuing any suspects outside the household, and a murder-suicide is among the theories being considered, with all the home's residents presumed dead. According to Sparks, the blaze showed signs of being intentionally started and is being investigated as suspicious, with arson specialists from the Michigan State Police lending assistance at the scene. Home to roughly 18,000 residents, Grand Haven Township is located about 25 miles (40 kilometres) west of Grand Rapids.