14-year-old killed in Van Buren Twp. house fire rescuing family

VAN BUREN TWP., Mich. (WJBK) - Neighbors and first responders did everything they could, but still 14-year-old Savion Robinson not be saved. The fire that tore through the teen's home in Van Buren Township was fast.

Two adults and four kids barely made it out, and many of those family members are still in the hospital.

"I thought I heard somebody hollering and couldn't get in there because the ceiling was starting to collapse down," says neighbor Don Buckenberger.

"Our firefighter ran in there. He suited up; he was able to come out of that front door of the fully-engulfed residence with a small child," says Greng Laurain, Van Buren Township's Public Safety Director.

Savion's older sister, Marie Santangelo, showed up at the home hours after the fire. The raw reality of what her loved ones went through was just too much to bare. She was told Savion actually guided his 10-year-old sister to the door, then went back to help the others.

"It's gone, like, gone. Dog, gone; family, gone. We just buried my other sister the Friday after Thanksgiving. This is unreal. This is not even happening right now," she said.

The family had gathered at the home in the 47 thousand block of Denton Road to decorate the Christmas tree and make gingerbread cookies. It was all in remebrance of another sibling who recently passed away in a pile up on Interstate-94 and Haggerty. They were sleeping when, around 4 a.m., tragedy struck again.

"We have different moms but when you look at pictures, we are twins. That is my baby. You would think I spit him out. It's not fair. He was only 14," Santangelo says.

Savion was a freshman at Belleville High School.

This is yet another heartbreak for this family to endure right before the holidays. It's one that has them numb and their neighborhood also hurting and wishing they all just had more time with Savion.

"It's really sad. I watched these kids grow up. They play with my daughter every day," says neighbor Jodi Buckenberger.

One of the main concerns right now is making sure the family involved in this and the emergency crews and neighbors who all stepped up to help are doing okay mentally and physically. Then comes the task of trying to figure out what started this deadly fire.

They hope to know more in the coming days. Stay with FOX 2 for updates.