Winds Spread Fire On East Side
Detroit’s East Side: At 11:28AM Thursday morning, Detroit Fire’s 1st & 6th Battalions responded to 3737 Beaufait on reports of a fire. The call was first dispatched as a ‘check for a fire’ but was immediately upgraded to a Commercial Box Alarm. Battalion Chief 1 arrived on scene and reported smoke showing.
The fire started in a pallet yard @ Beaufait & Pulford and winds, or an arsonist, spread the fire quickly through the east side neighborhood. Detroit Firefighters fought 6 fires, 3 commercial structures and 3 dwellings. One firefighter was injured at the Beaufait & Pulford fire scene and was conveyed by DEMS. Firefighters had to fight not only the fires in 6 separate locations but also citizens who harassed them, blocked traffic and basically made things more difficult for those fighting the fires.
The fire scene’s were in order of alarm:
3737 Beaufait, J&J Pallet & Trucking
3601 Bellevue, Total Bus Care
Sylvester & Bellevue– Commercial Building
3627 Helen– 1 vacant dwelling, 1 occupied exposure.
3654 Concord– Dwelling
Companies assigned to the Commercial Box Alarm:
Engines 1, 17, 41, 46. Ladder Trucks 27/6/7. Squads 2 & 3. Battalion Chiefs 1 & 6. DEMS Medic 8 & DEMS Supervisor 1104.
Dispatch Audio Initial Box
Engines companies started to dump their monitors once positioned.
Battalion Chief 6 warns companies on scene there are propane storage tanks on the fire scene, then they start exploding.
Companies began to position themselves in the safest positions to fight the fire.
Battalion Chief 6 positioning Ladder Trucks.
Battalion Chief 6 notifies Central Dispatch more DPD units are needed due to citizens on fire scene.
Battalion Chief 6 calls for another box for the fire @ 3601 Bellevue, just south of the current fire @ 3737 Beaufait.
Companies Assigned: Engines 52 39 32 Ladder 31 Squad 6 Chief 5
Senior Chief 203 assumes command on 3737 Beaufait fire scene, calls for a 2nd Alarm.
Companies assigned to 2nd Alarm on Beaufait: Hamtramck Engine 1, Hamtramck Ladder 1, DFD Engine 33, DFD Squad 4, Battalion Chief 9
Senior Chief 203 requests DPD to Sylvester & Beaufait due to citizens harassing firefighters on fire scene.
Power was shut off in the area during the firefight by DTE.
The fight continues on both fire scenes. 2nd Alarm companies staging @ Mack & Beaufait. Deputy Chief 201 arrives on 3601 Bellevue, cancels box alarm, cites smoke from Beaufait fire scene, but Chief 5 is still stretched and continues box.
Battalion Chief 6 notifies Central Dispatch, Senior Chief 203 that a cell tower at Sylvester & Beaufait has been compromised and may collapse, moves DTE crews from area. The tower is in the same block as J&J Pallets & Trucking where the pallet fire began.
Senior Chief 203 calls for a 4th Alarm for another commercial building sparking up @ Sylvester & Bellvue, apparently we skipped a third, maybe Mack & Bellevue counted as the 3rd, I dunno.
Companies Assigned to 4th Alarm: Engine 44, Hazmat 1, Hamtramck Ladder 1, Ladder 31, Squad 4 & Chief 9.
The fight continues, companies are being transferred from current assignments to the 4th Alarm fire @ Sylvester & Bellevue. Then the winds start up, another fire has poked its ugly head up at 3627 Helen, Arson Car 809 reports a vacant dwelling on fire but with an occupied exposure next to it. Meanwhile, Battalion Chief 9 starts towers ops up @ Sylvester & Bellevue.
Companies Assigned to the Helen Fire Scene: Engines 44, 58, 50, 56 Ladder Truck 23, Deputy Chief 201, Battalion Chief 7
Companies respond to the Helen Fire Scene, companies continue to shift back and forth according to the winds and Ladder Truck 7 gets an attaboy. Meanwhile, another fire on Concord starts up in the rear of a dwelling at 3624 Concord. Deputy Chief 201 sends Engine 56 heads over to check things out from the Helen fire scene. Deputy Chief 201 requests the water board due to water pressure issues, all of the fire scenes are working off the same water main. Engine 56 reports they’re stretching on the rear of a dwelling on Concord, Arson Car 805 and Engine 58 are also on Concord fire scene. Chief of the Department 200 makes the scene of the multiple.
More operations, Chief of the Department 200 assumes command at the Beaufait & Pulford fire scene. Fire on Helen is out, Chief 7 leaves the scene and responds to a possible jumper.
A firefighter is injured on the Beaufait & Pulford fire scene and conveyed to the hospital by DEMS. All fires scenes are either under control or will be shortly.
Detroit Police Response
Detroit Police arrived on the scene tasked with traffic control, crowd control and went on a hunt for someone flying a drone in the area. Detroit Police Thunderbird Command received a call from tower ops @ Coleman Young stating that a person was flying a drone over the fire scene, was not in possession of an FAA permit and would need to be downed. The Drone Dude was located and detained. The DPD also dealt with bystanders who for some odd reason felt it their right to interfere with fire operations, they were quickly dealt with and herded out of the area.
Detroit’s 7 Precinct, 11th Precinct, 5th Precinct and other units are directed to the fire scene, skillfully, by Rock & Roll Joe, a well known DPD dispatcher.
Initial Detroit Police Response
More units are directed toward the scene of the fires, a Motor Unit reports the dwelling fires on Helen.
A citizen runs back into a burning dwelling on Helen, Detroit Police discover another fire on the roof of the Sha-Sha’s Kiddy Korner Daycare on E Grand Blvd.
Information comes into the DPD that an arsonist may be at work in the area. Units are looking for a Black male in a red hoodie, carrying a gas can. Area of Seminole & E Canfield.
Detroit Police hunt down the Drone Dude, flying his drone over a fire scene without FAA clearance.
Companies continued fighting the fires, power lines, citizens etc until around 7:00PM Thrusday evening. Except for some rekindles, the fires were extinguished.