Angels' Night fires hit 17-year low in Detroit, officials say
From The Detroit News:
Detroit — This year's three-day Angels' Night campaign had the fewest fires since the volunteer patrol initiative began 17 years ago, city and police officials said Thursday.
Mayor Dave Bing credited the police officers, firefighters and more than 5,000 volunteers who patrolled the city with keeping the number of fires citywide to 93 — or about 31 per day during the three-day period, significantly lower than the 40 fires the city has averaged daily in recent years, the mayor said.
"Last year, there were 94 fires and we were pretty happy about that, because it was the lowest number we'd had in many years," Bing said. "This is tremendous."
Of the 93 reported fires this year, 39 were in occupied dwellings, 20 were in vacant dwellings, 12 were auto fires, 18 were rubbish fires, and four were garage fires, officials said.
Detroit fire commissioner Donald Austin said about two-thirds of the structure fires were considered suspicious.
"We're currently investigating those," he said.
The Angels' Night period covered three nights from Monday to Halloween. There were 25 fires Monday; 29 Tuesday; and 39 Wednesday. The city's northeast and west sides saw the most fires, Austin said.
When asked if the recent inclement weather helped keep the number of fires down, Austin said it helped — "but the weather was a double-edged sword," he said. "We had high winds the first night, which could've been a real problem if we'd had a large number of fires."
Devil's Night drew national attention during the 1980s and 1990s when hundreds of houses and other structures burned during the days leading up to Halloween. In 1984, there were 810 fires recorded.
Former Mayor Dennis Archer in 1995 organized Angels' Night, calling on volunteers to patrol the city's neighborhoods. He also instituted curfews to keep youths off the streets.
Police said there were 50 curfew violations this year, down from 123 in 2010. Officers this year issued 21 parental responsibility tickets, less than half of the 53 citations handed out last year, Detroit Police Lt. Renee Hall said.
"That shows us we're moving in the right direction," Hall said. "The parents were much more cooperative this year than they were last year."
Bing said he will meet with police and fire officials to determine next year's plan for Angels' Night.
"My sincere hope is that one day we won't have to stand here and report on Angels' Night," Bing said Thursday. "Until then, we'll continue to rely on our volunteers, police, fire and EMS."
ghunter@detroitnews.com
Mayor Dave Bing credited the police officers, firefighters and more than 5,000 volunteers who patrolled the city with keeping the number of fires citywide to 93 — or about 31 per day during the three-day period, significantly lower than the 40 fires the city has averaged daily in recent years, the mayor said.
"Last year, there were 94 fires and we were pretty happy about that, because it was the lowest number we'd had in many years," Bing said. "This is tremendous."
Of the 93 reported fires this year, 39 were in occupied dwellings, 20 were in vacant dwellings, 12 were auto fires, 18 were rubbish fires, and four were garage fires, officials said.
Detroit fire commissioner Donald Austin said about two-thirds of the structure fires were considered suspicious.
"We're currently investigating those," he said.
The Angels' Night period covered three nights from Monday to Halloween. There were 25 fires Monday; 29 Tuesday; and 39 Wednesday. The city's northeast and west sides saw the most fires, Austin said.
When asked if the recent inclement weather helped keep the number of fires down, Austin said it helped — "but the weather was a double-edged sword," he said. "We had high winds the first night, which could've been a real problem if we'd had a large number of fires."
Devil's Night drew national attention during the 1980s and 1990s when hundreds of houses and other structures burned during the days leading up to Halloween. In 1984, there were 810 fires recorded.
Former Mayor Dennis Archer in 1995 organized Angels' Night, calling on volunteers to patrol the city's neighborhoods. He also instituted curfews to keep youths off the streets.
Police said there were 50 curfew violations this year, down from 123 in 2010. Officers this year issued 21 parental responsibility tickets, less than half of the 53 citations handed out last year, Detroit Police Lt. Renee Hall said.
"That shows us we're moving in the right direction," Hall said. "The parents were much more cooperative this year than they were last year."
Bing said he will meet with police and fire officials to determine next year's plan for Angels' Night.
"My sincere hope is that one day we won't have to stand here and report on Angels' Night," Bing said Thursday. "Until then, we'll continue to rely on our volunteers, police, fire and EMS."
ghunter@detroitnews.com
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