Indian Village House Fire Question

[Bearinabox]

Gotta love that handle. I am Detroit and so can you!

[Krawlspace]

I have a copy of the news coverage from the Burns fire on VHS tape.
My family lived in IV from 1975 until 1997. My father went to help other resident volunteers clean debris and water out of the house after DFD finished their work. I agree with detroitbob that the house has been restored and there were no deaths, however I think that fire was in '77 or '78. I do know of another fire from that same time that occurred on Seminole where family members did die from smoke inhalation. I grew up as friends with some relatives of the family involved, but it wasn't spoken of often. I recall the house was on the block south of Vernor on the west side, but I could be mistaken. To my knowledge the house was repaired and still stands.

Interesting side note on the Burns house: it was originally built in England I believe, and then dissembled, shipped to Detroit, and rebuilt in IV. The twist was that during reassembly, the owner had the blueprints held up to a mirror, reversing the entire original layout of the home.

[EastsideAl]

My family's house on Seminole caught on fire in 1979 due to some faulty electrical work. Our attic and roof burned pretty extensively, and there was some water damage from the fire hoses, but there were certainly no injuries at all. It was all repaired within a few months.

I honestly don't remember another fire on Seminole during that time, but I also was absorbed in my late teen life and wasn't around there all that much in those days.

[Detroit]

I have a copy of the news coverage from the Burns fire on VHS tape.
My family lived in IV from 1975 until 1997. My father went to help other resident volunteers clean debris and water out of the house after DFD finished their work. I agree with detroitbob that the house has been restored and there were no deaths, however I think that fire was in '77 or '78. I do know of another fire from that same time that occurred on Seminole where family members did die from smoke inhalation. I grew up as friends with some relatives of the family involved, but it wasn't spoken of often. I recall the house was on the block south of Vernor on the west side, but I could be mistaken. To my knowledge the house was repaired and still stands.

Interesting side note on the Burns house: it was originally built in England I believe, and then dissembled, shipped to Detroit, and rebuilt in IV. The twist was that during reassembly, the owner had the blueprints held up to a mirror, reversing the entire original layout of the home.

I am guessing that it may be the fire on Seminole... The home was owned by Wilbur Willis. His wife, Vera, their daughter in law, Lorraine and a child also named Lorraine died in the fire. It was started by a cigarette couch. Does any of that sound familar?

[Krawlspace]

Yeah, Detroit, that is indeed the fire and the folks involved.
I was wondering what you might be researching this for?

Also, here is the link to the video of the news coverage of the Burns fire.
You can see my father in the yellow hard hat sweeping out debris.
The coverage begins at 0:50.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYUnW9w71f8

Props to my brother for transferring and posting it.

[Detroit]

Yeah, Detroit, that is indeed the fire and the folks involved.
I was wondering what you might be researching this for?

Also, here is the link to the video of the news coverage of the Burns fire.
You can see my father in the yellow hard hat sweeping out debris.
The coverage begins at 0:50.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYUnW9w71f8

Props to my brother for transferring and posting it.

Wilbur was the brother of my grandfather. I was told about the fire many times over the years and my father remembered it was on the news or in the paper... I was just trying to find any coverage of it. I am working on a Family history. I never met any of the relatives on that line except for the second cousin that caused the fire when he fell asleep on the couch. Wilbur and Vera's oldest son, Robert [[who died a few months back) still owned a house on Seminole, but I was not sure if it was the same house, just repaired.