GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The mother and her three sons who died in an overnight fire have been identified.

Wanedia Scales, 35, and her children, Xavier Woleab, 15, Robert Scales Jr., 14, Elijah Scales, 10, died Wednesday, Feb. 5, on Dawes Avenue SE.

They were sleeping in second-story bedrooms at 2902 Dawes when fire broke out. It burned for some time before neighbors saw flames coming from the back of the home around 12:30 a.m.

A neighbor, DeMarcus Putnam, kicked in a door and tried to alert those inside but he could only get half-way up the stairs before he was forced back.

Grand Rapids firefighters carried the victims out of the house and worked to revive them. They were not breathing and had no pulses. The mother died at the scene while her sons later died at the hospital.

Robert Scales Sr. confirmed that his wife and the children died in the fire. He was at work when the fire broke out and rushed home when he got a call from a neighbor.

On Wednesday night, family and friends held a candlelight vigil in front of the burned home. They brought balloons, stuffed animals and warm memories.

They were a beloved family in the neighborhood. They were known for helping others, neighbors said.

Laverne Duke, an aunt to the mother, said: “She was a good-loving person. She had a big heart and she always wanted to help,” she said.

“And the kids were wonderful. Great kids, always helping as well.''

The loss is profound, she said.

“It’s very hard. To lose four of them, it’s hard,” Duke said.

Grand Rapids Fire Chief John Lehman said firefighters did not find operating smoke detectors in the house. His department offers free smoke detectors and fire-safety checks to homeowners in they city. Call 311 or 616-456-3000 or go here for further information.

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