Fire Officials Investigate Second Fatal Blaze in the Shores

A 44-year-old woman died this morning in a house fire on the 22900 block of Maxine in St. Clair Shores.

Firefighters responding at 3:53 a.m. Friday entered the burning house and found Denise Boyd-Winston in her bedroom.

Boyd-Winston was taken to St. John Hospital, where she died. Her 24-year-old son, who also lives in the home, had minor injuries. A firefighter was treated at St. John for smoke inhalation and was released.

St. Clair Shores fire officials are urging residents to install working smoke alarms in their homes after this second fatal blaze this week.

Neither home where the fatal fires occurred had working smoke alarms, which may have warned the victims of the blaze, officials said.

"Residents need to have smoke detectors," said Fire Chief George Morehouse, who recommends residents use the start of daylight saving time this weekend to change the batteries in their smoke detectors.

Morehouse said the Maxine fire appears to be accidental and may have been caused by "careless smoking."

Earlier this week, Yvette Parrish Thompson, 37, died in a on Masonic at Birkshire late Monday night. Investigators believe the cause of this fire was electrical, according to Police Det. Jason Brown.