Huge blaze proves again the dangers facing cash-strapped Detroit Fire Department

No fire in Detroit is routine.

After another rash of suspected arsons in Detroit early this morning, the cash-strapped fire department found itself with faulty equipment, malfunctioning fire hydrants and broken-down trucks.

The worst happened shortly after 4 a.m. when a huge blaze broke out at J & G Pallets and Trucking near Mack and Mt. Elliot on Beaufait on the city’s east side. Equipment failures and a shortage of firefighters made it especially difficult to fight the blaze, fire fighters said, which was so enormous that it caused a runaway grass fire across the street.

Fatigued firefighters were still fighting the blaze at 11 a.m. as flames continued to tear through pallets and melt telephone and electricity wires.

“I don’t know how long we can do this before it’s just too much,” one firefighter told me this morning.

Under state oversight, the city cut the fire department’s already tight budget.

Firefighters said at least two people have been killed in the last month because the closure of fire stations has made it nearly impossible to reach fires timely enough.

  Arson, Cuts, detroit, Fire department, Mayor Dave Bing, Safety, State oversight, steve

Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.

• 
• 
• 
• 
•