Redford Group Home Fire: What Michigan Law Says About Unlicensed Adult Care

By Koussan Law
Published October 2, 2026, 2:48 p.m. ET

Short answer: Three people died on August 15, 2026, in a fire at a house on Woodbine Avenue in Redford Township that the township's fire chief described as an adult foster care home, and the state has said the address was never licensed or registered as one. Michigan law says no one may establish or maintain an adult foster care facility without a state license, and licensed homes must follow fire-safety rules on smoke detection, evacuation plans and drills. A missing license does not, by itself, establish the cause of the fire or who is legally responsible for the deaths. Investigators have not announced a cause, and the facts that matter most are not yet public: who ran the home, who arranged for each resident to live there, and what anyone knew about fire risks inside it.

What happened

Shortly after 6 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, 2026, Redford Township firefighters found heavy smoke and flames at a house in the 15000 block of Woodbine Avenue near Five Mile Road, according to FOX 2 Detroit and an MLive report republished by Fire Engineering. Three people were found dead and two residents escaped. Fire Chief Chris Mayes described the house as an adult foster care facility, WXYZ reported. Two days later, the state told WXYZ and WDIV that it had no license on file for the address. Six weeks after the fire, the chief told WXYZ that a cause had still not been determined.

What we know so far

• Emergency crews responded shortly after 6 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, 2026, to a house in the 15000 block of Woodbine Avenue near Five Mile Road. Three people died and two residents escaped. Firefighters from Livonia and Southfield assisted. (FOX 2 Detroit; Fire Engineering)
• The state's Bureau of Community and Health Systems told WXYZ the address does not appear in its system and has never been registered as an adult foster care facility. (WXYZ, August 17)
• The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs told WDIV: "There is not a license on file." (WDIV, August 17)
• On September 27, The Detroit News reported, citing police, that a resident of the home had a history of starting fires. (The Detroit News)
• On September 28, WXYZ reported that the three people who died were women. The sister of one of them told the station her sister was "a ward of the state because she's unable to take care of herself," and that "they did not even inform us that they moved her from Fennville to the home." The sister said she learned of the death when a reporter called, more than a month after the fire. (WXYZ, September 28)
• As of September 28, the fire chief said there were no updates and no cause had been determined, and the house remained untouched, WXYZ reported. A message the station left for the person listed as the property owner was not returned.

What has not been established

• The cause of the fire. Investigators have not announced one, and Koussan Law has not reviewed the police information described by The Detroit News.
• Who operated the home, how many people lived there, and whether anyone was paid to provide their care.
• Who arranged for each resident to move there, and whether any resident had a court-appointed guardian, case manager or agency responsible for the placement.
• Whether the house had working smoke alarms, a written evacuation plan, or staff awake overnight.
• Whether anyone reported the home to state regulators before the fire.
• Whether any lawsuit or criminal charge has been filed. We found no public report of either as of October 2, 2026.

Did the house need a state license?

That depends on facts that are not yet public, but the law on when a license is required is clear.

Michigan's Adult Foster Care Facility Licensing Act defines an adult foster care facility as "a home or facility that provides foster care to adults" who are aged, mentally ill, developmentally disabled or physically disabled and who "require supervision on an ongoing basis but who do not require continuous nursing care." The act defines foster care as "the provision of supervision, personal care, and protection in addition to room and board, for 24 hours a day, 5 or more days a week, and for 2 or more consecutive weeks for compensation provided at a single address."

The licensing requirement itself is direct. Under MCL 400.713(1), a person, partnership, corporation, association or government agency "shall not establish or maintain an adult foster care facility unless licensed by the department."

Whether this house met that definition turns on what happened inside it: whether residents received supervision and personal care around the clock, and whether someone was paid to provide it. If those facts are confirmed, the state's statement that the address was never registered becomes one of the most important facts in any legal review of these deaths.

The state has enforced the licensing rule in court before. In 2021, the Michigan Attorney General announced that a Wayne County Circuit Court judge had held a caretaker in contempt for violating a 2019 injunction that barred her from providing unlicensed adult foster care. The state's licensing director said at the time: "When a care provider is not properly licensed by the state or is acting in violation of those professional parameters, there is risk to the people using that service."

What a license would have required

A license is more than paperwork. Licensed homes must run criminal history checks on employees and contractors who work with residents (MCL 400.734b). The state's rules for small group homes set where smoke detectors must be installed, including between sleeping areas and the rest of the home (Mich Admin Code R 400.14505). They also require "a written emergency procedure and evacuation plan to be followed in case of fire," identification of residents who need special assistance, and practice of "emergency and evacuation procedures during daytime, evening, and sleeping hours at least once per quarter" (Mich Admin Code R 400.14318). A home outside the licensing system is not reviewed against any of those requirements.

Can a missing license support a wrongful death claim?

Michigan's wrongful death act allows a claim when a death is "caused by wrongful act, neglect, or fault of another," and every such action "shall be brought by, and in the name of, the personal representative of the estate of the deceased." Damages can include medical, funeral and burial expenses, conscious pain and suffering before death, loss of financial support, and loss of the society and companionship of the person who died (MCL 600.2922(6)).

A missing license is not proof that anyone caused these deaths. A claim would still have to show that someone owed the residents a duty of care, failed to meet it, and that the failure contributed to the deaths. Licensing rules can help define what safe care looks like, but how much weight they carry in a particular lawsuit is for the court in that case to decide.

On the question of duty, the Michigan Supreme Court has said that as a general rule "there is no duty that obligates one person to aid or protect another," but the common law "imposes a duty of care when a special relationship exists." Those relationships rest on an imbalance of control, where "one person entrusts himself to the control and protection of another, with a consequent loss of control to protect himself" (Bailey v Schaaf, 494 Mich 595 (2013)). Adults who need supervision because they cannot care for themselves are the kind of people that principle describes. Whether a court would find such a duty here depends on who actually ran the home and what that person or company agreed to provide.

One question investigators and lawyers are likely to examine is what the people running the home knew about any resident's history with fire, and what precautions followed. That answer could matter more than the license itself.

What duties did guardians and placing agencies have?

One family has said its relative was "a ward of the state." When an adult has a court-appointed guardian, Michigan law gives the guardian specific duties. Under MCL 700.5314, a guardian has the powers and duties the probate court grants, which can include deciding where the ward lives. When it does, the guardian "shall visit the ward within 3 months after the guardian's appointment and not less than once within 3 months after each previous visit," and "shall notify the court within 14 days of a change in the ward's place of residence." The guardian must also report to the probate court at least once a year, and the report covers "the ward's present living arrangement and changes in the ward's living arrangement that occurred during the past year" along with "a list of the guardian's visits with, and activities on behalf of, the ward."

If any resident had a court-appointed guardian, the probate file is among the first records a lawyer would request: who the guardian was, whether the court was told about the move to Woodbine Avenue, and what the visit history shows. None of that is public, and nothing reported so far says any guardian failed in those duties.

If a government agency arranged or paid for a placement, different rules apply. Michigan's governmental immunity statute says an agency is "immune from tort liability if the governmental agency is engaged in the exercise or discharge of a governmental function," subject to exceptions written into the law (MCL 691.1407). Claims against the State of Michigan for personal injuries also require a written, verified notice filed with the Court of Claims within six months after the event (MCL 600.6431), and the Michigan Supreme Court has held that the notice rule applies wherever such a claim is filed (Christie v Wayne State University (2023)).

What the public record shows

The state publishes a searchable directory of licensed adult foster care facilities that lists each home's license number, address and capacity, and can be filtered by license status. A search for "Redford" on October 2, 2026, returned 39 active licensed facilities. Families can check a specific home by searching its exact street address. Concerns about a home that appears to be operating without a license can be reported to the state's adult foster care complaint intake line at 866-856-0126 or through its complaint page; the state requires people reporting an unlicensed home to explain how they know it is operating without a license.

Evidence that matters and how fast it can disappear

• The fire scene. WXYZ reported the house was untouched six weeks after the fire. Scenes like this are often altered by demolition, cleanup or insurance work. Michigan courts have not recognized a separate lawsuit against a third party for destroying evidence that would have helped a case (Teel v Meredith, 284 Mich App 660 (2009), a fatal apartment fire), but courts can sanction a party that fails to preserve evidence, and a jury may be allowed to infer that missing evidence was unfavorable (Brenner v Kolk, 226 Mich App 149 (1997)).
• Fire and police investigation files, including 911 recordings and any report describing residents' histories.
• Physical items such as smoke alarm remains, wiring, heating equipment and any device investigators identify as a possible source.
• Placement and payment records: who paid for each resident's care, and any referral, contract or case note connected to the move into the home.
• Probate court guardianship files: letters of guardianship, notices of change of residence, annual reports and visit records.
• State licensing complaint records and any earlier police or fire runs to the address.

Who could be legally responsible

None of these possibilities is established by the reporting so far. Each depends on facts that are not yet public.

• The person or company that operated the home, if it provided care for pay and failed to use reasonable care in supervision, fire safety or evacuation, and that failure contributed to the deaths.
• The property owner, if different from the operator, depending on what the owner knew about how the house was being used and whether a condition the owner controlled contributed to the fire.
• A guardian, agency or care coordinator that arranged a placement, if it owed a duty in choosing or monitoring the home and did not meet it. Government agencies raise the immunity and notice issues described above.
• A manufacturer or seller of a product, if investigators trace the fire to a defective appliance, heater, battery or similar device.

Michigan deadlines that apply

The firm's Michigan injury deadline calculator explains other filing deadlines. Deadlines depend on the facts of each claim and should be confirmed with a lawyer early.

Questions people are asking

How can I check whether an adult foster care home in Michigan is licensed? Search the state's adult foster care facility directory using the home's exact street address. Licensed homes appear with a license number, address and capacity. A home that is caring for adults but does not appear can be reported to the state at 866-856-0126.

Is it illegal to run an adult foster care home without a license in Michigan? The licensing act says a person "shall not establish or maintain an adult foster care facility unless licensed by the department" (MCL 400.713(1)). Whether a particular home counts as an adult foster care facility depends on the care it provides and whether that care is provided for pay. The Attorney General has gone to court to stop unlicensed adult foster care in the past.

Who can file a wrongful death lawsuit in Michigan? The lawsuit is brought by the personal representative of the estate of the person who died, who is appointed through the probate court. The statute defines who may share in any recovery, and the list includes close family members such as a spouse, children and parents.

What must a guardian do when a ward moves? When the probate court has given a guardian power over where the ward lives, the guardian must notify the court within 14 days of a change in the ward's residence, visit at least once every three months, and report the ward's living arrangements to the court at least once a year (MCL 700.5314).

Does a missing license mean the operator is automatically liable? No. A missing license may be important evidence, but a wrongful death claim still requires proof of a duty, a failure to meet it, and a connection between that failure and the deaths.

If you are dealing with a situation like this

When a family member is hurt or dies in a group home, adult foster care home or nursing facility, the first questions are usually who was responsible for the person's care, which records to request before they disappear, and which deadlines apply. A free consultation can answer those questions for your situation. Koussan Law handles nursing home and care facility negligence and wrongful death claims, and the firm's guide to Michigan wrongful death law explains how these cases are built. Call (313) 800-0000 or request a free consultation. The firm has offices in Detroit, Dearborn Heights and Marquette and serves clients in English, Spanish and Arabic.

Sources

1. FOX 2 Detroit, "3 dead after fire at Redford Township adult foster care facility," August 15, 2026. fox2detroit.com
2. Fire Engineering (MLive, via Tribune Content Agency), "Three Dead in MI Adult Foster Care Fire," August 16, 2026. fireengineering.com
3. WXYZ, "Three dead in Redford Township house fire, state says adult foster care facility was never licensed," August 17, 2026. wxyz.com
4. WDIV ClickOnDetroit, "Questions raised after fire kills 3 at reported adult foster care home in Redford Township," August 17, 2026. clickondetroit.com
5. The Detroit News, "Resident of Redford Township home where 3 died in fire had history of starting fires: police," September 27, 2026. detroitnews.com
6. WXYZ, "Family of Redford Township group home fire victim says they just learned she died in the blaze," September 28, 2026. wxyz.com
7. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Statewide Search for Adult Foster Care / Homes for the Aged Facilities, searched October 2, 2026. adultfostercare.apps.lara.state.mi.us
8. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, adult foster care complaints. michigan.gov
9. Michigan Department of Attorney General, "Wayne County Caretaker Found in Contempt for Providing Unlicensed Adult Foster Care," February 24, 2021. michigan.gov

Primary law: MCL 400.703, MCL 400.704, MCL 400.713, MCL 400.734b, Mich Admin Code R 400.14318, Mich Admin Code R 400.14505, MCL 700.5314, MCL 600.2922, MCL 600.5805, MCL 600.5852, MCL 600.6431, MCL 691.1407, Bailey v Schaaf, 494 Mich 595 (2013), Christie v Wayne State University (2023), Teel v Meredith, 284 Mich App 660 (2009), Brenner v Kolk, 226 Mich App 149 (1997).