SAGINAW -- "Just flames, they were so big you could see them through your eyes while you were sleeping,” said Mary Barnes
Mary Barnes then ran out of her home to see what was going on.
"The first thing I thought that everyone was in there sleeping and I got upset and started to cry with my friend,” said Barnes.
Family says the kids were staying down the street while their mother was out with friends.
"The fire started upstairs. It seemed to be pretty hot and travel very fast,” said Fire Marshal Ralph Martin.
Fire and water damage has ruined most of the home.
"We are going to try to find the cause and origin of the structure fire. The building was compromised by so much fire we have to be careful about going back inside,” said Martin.
Neighbors say they had been skeptical about electrical work in the home.
"I knew the people who owned the house previously, and they had some problems with the electrical wiring,” said a neighbor.
"Those factors will help me go in the right direction as far as my investigation,” said Martin.
The family is together and being supported by the American Red Cross.
"It makes me feel very good that they are all okay,” said Barnes.
The Red Cross says the family has been given three nights at a hotel, a weeks worth of food and a few changes of clothes to cope with their loss.
