The victims in a deadly motel fire on Saturday have been honored with a vigil. Mourners gathered on Wednesday night at the Cosmo Extended Stay Motel on M-139 in Sodus Township where a fire killed 26-year-old Kiarre Curtis and five of her children. At the vigil, family of Kiarre Curtis remembered her as someone who was struggling the best she could for her family.
“I just want to say to my family be strong,” a cousin said. “We are going to get through this together, and I love you all.”
Pastor Willie Burton prayed for unity.
“I know what I felt when I heard the news, but we are praying for strength now,” Burton said. “Go with us, keep us, and bless every person today who has come to show unity in this city. Let us continue to love one another.”
Pastor Carlton Lynch with Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church led the service and asked those who attended to donate money for Samuel Curtis and his surviving child. He said the news of Saturday’s fire is still sinking in, and the community should cope by helping those who need it
“There are people who lived in here who are still in homes, still staying in schools, and I think this is the time for the church to do what the church does,” Lynch said.
Some of those displaced by the fire are staying at a Red Cross shelter in St. Joseph. You can drop off items for them at the Six Degrees Resale Shop or Mosaic CCDA in Benton Harbor. You can also give money to the Red Cross. Killed in Saturday’s fire were 26-year-old Kiarre Curtis, 10-year-old Marquise Thompson, 7-year-old Gerome Randolph, 5-year-old Samuel Curtis, 4-year-old Savod Curtis, and 2-year-old Avery Curtis.
