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U.S. NEWS A5
Wednesday 3 February
Boy, 16, among 5 Mexicans who died in Michigan house fire
JEFF KAROUB Police and fire officials investigate a house fire that killed five people at a home in Novi, Mich.,
Associated Press Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Authorities say five restaurant workers were killed in the house fire near
NOVI, Michigan (AP) — Detroit. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
A 16-year-old boy was
among five Mexican na- Associated Press
tionals who died in a house
fire in suburban Detroit whether the five were in
over the weekend, author- the U.S. illegally.
ities said Tuesday as they The home was owned by
tried to determine the im- a restaurateur Roger Tam,
migration status of the de- who police said called the
ceased. emergency dispatcher on
Police have confirmed Sunday morning to report
four of the five worked at the fire. The Associated
Kim’s Garden in Novi and Press left a message at the
all lived in the basement restaurant for Tam.
of their restaurant owner’s The treatment of immi-
house where they perished grants who work in restau-
Sunday morning. rants and live together has
Novi Public Safety Director attracted attention nation-
David Molloy said prelimi- wide, but most recently in
nary autopsy results show the Chicago area, where
the cause of death was Illinois’ attorney general
smoke and soot inhalation filed a lawsuit in Novem-
and that the origin of the ber to stop alleged civil
fire was a mattress in the rights violations in housing
basement. and pay. Molloy said his
The cause is undetermined, department hasn’t dealt
though investigators are with Tam or his restaurant
looking at smoking, Molloy on such matters, and he
said. isn’t aware of a broader
He said the five were found problem in the suburb or
in the basement that had surrounding area with the
stairs to the first floor but treatment of immigrant
windows made of glass employees.
block, which would pre- Molloy said police are in
vent any escape in an touch with “distant rela-
emergency. tives” in Michigan of those
Molloy said the blaze and who died, but are not con-
deaths appear to be ac- cerned about their immi-
cidental but that investiga- gration status.q
tors aren’t ruling out charg-
es, which could include
negligence, code viola-
tions or human trafficking.
Police identified four of
the victims and are work-
ing with the Mexican con-
sulate in Detroit to identify
the fifth man who was be-
lieved to have been in his
early 20s and might have
also worked at the restau-
rant.
The four identified were: Le-
onel Rodriguez, 18; Miguel
Diaz, 23; Brayan Contreras,
16; and Simeon Nunez, 18.
Molloy said his depart-
ment is working with U.S.
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement to figure out
