Five people dead in Michigan fire were from Mexico

Police say five restaurant co-workers who died in a house fire in suburban Detroit were from Mexico.

The public safety director in Novi released more details Monday, a day after five men died in a fire that might be linked to careless smoking and a mattress.

David Molloy says the victims worked at Kim's Gardens, a Chinese restaurant in Novi, northwest of Detroit. He says investigators are trying to determine if there's any connection between ownership of the house and management of the restaurant.

Molloy says he's also trying to learn more details about the victims and if they were in the country legally. He calls the weekend scene "very horrific."

The fire occurred in a comfortable neighborhood where some houses are worth more than US$350,000.