Listen live to Detroit Fire Department
Wind gusts of up to 50 mph that downed power lines and low humidity fueled the flames of at least 85 fires throughout the city.
Dennis Walus photo from fire at E. Robinwood & Van Dyke. Click image for more pictures.
Power was out for 36,000 customers in the region, according to DTE Energy.
The arid conditions combined with high winds were cited for at least 85 reported fires in a four-hour period Tuesday afternoon, city officials said.
From an article by Cecil Angel and Melanie D. Scott from the Detroit Free Press:
“There’s no fire bug here,” said Detroit Fire Department Capt. Steve Varnas surveying the damage from a blaze in the area of Van Dyke and 7 Mile that had claimed at least 17 structures. “Throughout the whole city, the same thing is happening: Wires down every where.”
High winds were causing dead limbs to fall from trees, knocking down the wires which have been igniting, Varnas said.
About 20 structures were reported burning in the area of Quinn Street near 7 Mile and Van Dyke on the city’s east side and spread over three side streets. Fires also have been reported at other locations on the city’s east side, including McClellan and Berry and McClellan at Murray.
Detroit Fire Chief Gregory Williams said today was one of the worst days for fires he’s seen in the 36 1/2 years he’s been with the department.
“I haven’t had anything like this in 20 years,” he said regarding the fires in the city.
Williams said firefighters got the call to come to the Van Dyke area at 5:20 p.m. and had the blazes there confined by about 8 p.m. He agreed that the fires appeared to be caused by downed electrical wires from the high winds.
Williams said the sheer number of fires had stretched the department’s resources to the limit.
As fires spread out of control late this afternoon, the Detroit Fire Department requested aid around 6 p.m. from the Warren Fire Department — an almost unprecedented request, Detroit Fire Capt. Dan McNamara said.
“We’ve never really been in the situation of needing significant help since the civil disturbances” during the riots of 1967, McNamara said. The city asked Warren to send aid to fires raging near 7 Mile and Van Dyke, said McNamara, a 33-year veteran who is union president of the Detroit Firefighters Association.
“You get to the point where you’re not able to do what you’re supposed to do,” McNamara said.
McNamara said they don’t have enough fire companies to respond. “We’ve had aid before, just to help out in a specific area, but this time is different. We don’t have anyone available. … It used to be we could throw enough resources to knock something big down and work our way into it. The day of reckoning has come.”
Though the city does not have enough fire trucks, McNamara said the main thing is the city doesn’t have the firefighters to staff them. Eight or nine fire companies of 65 are shut each day, he said.
“And it’s not an anomaly just because there’s a windstorm,” he emphasized. “We’ve had every kind of storm in history. This is a major embarrassment. I just hope nobody gets hurt.”
McNamara said the firefighters’ union has been telling the city since the beginning of the decade that the department does not have enough companies and enough firefighters. He said he believes Mayor Dave Bing is doing the best he can, but noted that “the piper’s gotta be paid someday.”
Also on STATter911 …
- Detroit Fire Commissioner proposes letting vacant buildings 50% involved burn to the ground. Donald Austin asked to make cut in next year’s budget. – April 22, 2012
- Fireground audio: Detroit firefighters under attack at fatal fire with rescues try to get police to the scene. DPD says 13 minute response time is ‘acceptable’. – January 9, 2012
- Where’s Charlie? Bad news from Detroit & a different reporter is trying to track down the commissioner. – September 14, 2011
- Raw video & fireground audio: Two 5-alarm fires in Philly in two days. – January 10, 2011
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It would appear that Chief Williams has a rather short memory.
Devil’s Night(s) in the 80′s were producing 500 to 800 fires over a 3 day period.
One wonders how long it took them to call for mutual aid, most other departments would be calling for the world to assist if they had this many fires in this short of time. Granted, the closed stations don’t help, but I would hazard a guess that NO FD could handle 85 structure fires in a 4 hour period. I have some guesses as to the amount of time it took, but that’s all they would be.
Plenty of career departments by me are very hesitant to call for mutual aid, sometimes to the detriment of the citizens they are supposed to be serving.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the firefighters and citizens who lost their possessions.
This “wind driven” fire is they type of situation that we face out here in California on an annual basis.
Ideally, the Engine Company and Chief Officers would have a chance to conduct a quick “Structure Triage” and write off those that were abandonded or vacant to concentrate all of the available resources that were occupied.
But the conditions in such a fireground situation is very erratic and changes rapidly.
The good news so far is that no one was reported severely injured or any fatalities.
Good Job Detroit FD under trying conditions!
From Colorado
1st. Hope the Governor, declared the fire area a “Disaster
Area”, which can allow the State to obtain Federal Monies to reimburse the DFD and surrounding FD’s for use of their equipment and personnel. On duty and recalled. Everyone needs to keep track of their time cards!
2nd When this does happen, hopefully the DFD FF’s Union Local tracks the money and that it gets down to the fire department.
I’m certain a lot of perople want to make sure it gets down to where it belongs and not into some “City Coffer” to pay “perks” and the cell phone bill for the city council and so on.