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A home at 20179 Spencer in northeast Detroit was firebombed early on Nov. 1, 2013. A mother and her son were killed in the fire.

(Gus Burns)

DETROIT, MI -- Brian Woods awoke and saw fire across the street at 20179 Spencer in a northeast Detroit neighborhood.

"And then I noticed a guy he had run over here and he said his mom and his little brother was still in the house at the time," said Woods, 22, who's lived in the neighborhood for about three months.

Detroit police confirmed that a house fire in the waning hours of this year's three-day Angels' Night period took the lives of two people about 4 a.m. Friday.

Detroit Police Officer Christine Rozier said the victims are a 49-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy.

"We had run across the street to try and get them out of the house and the fire was too bad and we couldn't go in there," said Woods. "And we had to wait for the fire department."

There were no cries for help, "it was completely quiet, like they were asleep," said Woods. "The smoke was so bad that when you were standing outside of the house you would choke. You would have to have something over your face."

A "person of interest" is in custody, police say.

Woods said that "person of interest" is the brother and son of the victims.

Detroit Fire Captain Dale Bradley said the fire is still under investigation. Neither he nor Rozier would confirm if it was being considered arson.

On Friday morning the scorched, windowless home with debris -- burnt insulation and two Benny Napoleon for mayor signs in the lawn -- stuck out from the other well-kept homes on the street.

Prior to the fire, the charred home likely appeared much the same.

A fire at 20179 Spencer killed a mother and her son, 16, on the early morning of Nov. 1.

City officials have not released arson numbers for this year's three-day Angels' Night period. Bradley said he's unsure when they'll be ready for public announcement.

Motorcitymuckraker.com kept a tally of fires between Wednesday night and Thursday morning that indicates firefighters were busier than usual.

Officials reported 93 fires in 2012 and 94 in 2011. There were 169 in 2010 and 119 in 2009.

if proven to be arson, the death of the teen and his mother does not appear to be random.

The homeowner is listed as Bennie J. Miles on the Wayne County Assessor's website.