Frank Clark, 24, revealed on Sunday that his father died in a house fire last week
A Seattle Seahawks player has said that his father and three other family members were killed in an ‘arson fire’ in Cleveland last week.
‘My father was killed in an arson fire along with 3 other members of my family on the East Side of Cleveland. Pray for me and my family during this time,’ defensive end Frank Clark, 24, tweeted on Sunday.
Cleveland police and fire officials have not disclosed whether they suspect the fire on last Tuesday was intentionally set.
Four victims died in the house fire on on Hillview Road, including Clark’s father Frank Clark III, 46.
Also killed in the blaze were Alfonso Lathan Jr, 46; his son, Alfonso Lathan III, 4, and his granddaughter Niayah, 8.
All were identified by family. Lathan Jr is Clark III’s uncle.
Another resident of the house, Lathan Jr’s wife Gianna Lathan, escaped the fire by jumping out of a second-story window.
The fire broke out at about 1am on January 30, Cleveland.com reported at the time.
Clark posted this family photo of himself with his father and claimed the fire was ‘arson’
The home did not have working smoke detectors, and the residents awoke to smoke
The fire started around 1am on January 30. Fire crews arrived to find it fully involved
The freezing cold and high winds made fighting the fire especially difficult, officials said
The extra-alarm fire in Cleveland took 38 firefighters about 90 minutes to put out
Gianna Latham told fire officials that she and her husband woke as the smell of smoke was filling the house.
The home did have smoke detectors, but they were not working at the time, Cleveland Fire Department spokesman Mike Norman said.
Gianna Lathan claimed that both she and her husband tried to get to their children’s rooms, but were unsuccessful.
She then jumped out of a second-story window, was taken to the Cleveland Clinic and flown by emergency helicopter to MetroHealth.
The extra-alarm fire took 38 firefighters about 90 minutes to put out.
Fire crews battled freezing conditions and high winds as they battled the blaze.
Part of the home’s roof collapsed, making the search for victims difficult and time consuming.
Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark (left) is seen with his father Frank Clark III
Fire crews worked into the early hours to put the fire out as it ripped through the structure
Cleveland firemen are pictured at the scene of a fire that killed four people
Crews searched the house for victims, but the heavy damage to the structure made it difficult
Slide to view: The house is seen before and after the fire that killed four on January 30
As is typical in a fatal fire, the Ohio fire marshal brought an accelerant-sniffing dog as part of the investigation into the cause of the fire.
It was the most deadly fire in Cleveland since 2009.
‘The entire Seahawks family is mourning with Frank Clark and his loved ones after their tragic loss,’ the team said Sunday in a statement. ‘Our thoughts and prayers will be pouring out to Frank and his family during their time of grieving.’
Clark was a second-round pick by the Seahawks out of Michigan in 2015.
He has 22 sacks in three seasons with Seattle. In 2017, Clark recorded 32 tackles and nine sacks in 16 games.