Speaking of fires in Detroit, whats up with Chene I94 area?

**Django** · December-03-11, 03:12 PM

Ever since I moved to this area 10 years ago, the area between Chene and Mt Elliot South of 94 there seems to be a constant burning of houses and buildings. My gut tells me someone is being paid to set these fires. Theres been some speculation here in the past years but am wondering if theres any new theories.

I was in a vacant one day about a year ago, about 3 younh guys came in and were surprised to find me, they said something about this house is being set for demolition or being torn down even though it was on the brink of being rehabable. Two days later the house next door burned to the ground, about two days after that the house I was in burned. They were quickly cleaned up and are now vacant lots.

I cant help but think someones trying to clear this land. Even the old shack I lived in on Medbury burned, unfortunately with my friend living there and his dog was inside.

Any ideas? Is this just normal for Detroit. Im really only used to living i this area and the Corridor which doesnt get all that many fires. Seems like some sort of land grab is goin on.

**313WX** · December-03-11, 03:19 PM

It wouldn't surprise me.

It may even have some connection to the pretty much DOA Detroit Works project, if what you're saying is in fact the case.

**Detroitnerd** · December-04-11, 03:59 PM

Based on the pattern of the fires and discussions with area residents, I'm going to say this is the work of firebugs. Firebugs are usually paid by an outside party to torch a building. They're often female. The one caught setting the Eastown afire said he was to be paid $30,000 for the job. Once the building is fired and blighted, the city has to tear it down. Now, the question is, who would have such large holdings on the near east side that it would benefit them to have no neighborhood there anymore...

**Django** · December-04-11, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Now, the question is, who would have such large holdings on the near east side that it would benefit them to have no neighborhood there anymore...

Exactly what Im wondering.

Damn, $30,000 for an arson job. Im not familiar with that fire but it must have been insured for millions.

A bit off topic but I remember when the Piquette Market burned some years back. Coincidentally it was the day after a bunch of firefighters were laid off, some of them were heard saying "burn baby burn" as they hosed down what seemed to be the wrong ares of the fire. Another rumor was that the building which had only two tenants was insured for 7 million. I couldnt believe they couldnt have stopped that fire if they wanted to, an entire courtyard burned from one spot.

**Detroitnerd** · December-04-11, 04:52 PM

http://detnews.com/article/20110203/SPECIAL01/110202002

I guess the largest landholders there are Kelly and Tatarian.

**Django** · December-04-11, 05:21 PM

I remember hearing the name Berger [[sp) Brothers. Im pretty sure Kelly and Tatarian didnt own the Piquette.

I see my old house is one of the blighted pics on Tatarians page, on Medbury. It was the one I was speakin on earlier, the one that burned with the dog in it. I can say he does his best to keep his properties occupied. He buys from the auctions just like anyone for pennies on the dollar, does his best to rehab them for turnaround. Hes gotten a bad rap if you ask me.

**rjk** · December-04-11, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Based on the pattern of the fires and discussions with area residents, I'm going to say this is the work of firebugs. Firebugs are usually paid by an outside party to torch a building. They're often female. The one caught setting the Eastown afire said he was to be paid $30,000 for the job. Once the building is fired and blighted, the city has to tear it down. Now, the question is, who would have such large holdings on the near east side that it would benefit them to have no neighborhood there anymore...

I'm having a hard time believing that.
You look at some of the people in that area I think they'd torch just about anything for a few hundred bucks.

I shoot down Chene when I go to Eastern Market or Sweetest Heart and have noticed a lot houses getting torched over the last few years. I wouldn't be surprised if it's just some guy who likes all the excitement of fire engines racing to the scene. How often does the Packard Plant have a fire that needs to be put out? Probably someone who's got nothing better to do.

**MikeM** · December-04-11, 05:49 PM

http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...an_uses_t.html

**Detroitnerd** · December-04-11, 07:45 PM

Maybe I'm wrong about the Eastown. But I do remember they caught a guy after a big fire and he said somebody had offered to pay him to burn it down.

Then there's the case of Samson Wright, the arsonist-for-hire who started the fire that injured several firefighters.

**Carey** · December-04-11, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by Django

Exactly what Im wondering.

Damn, $30,000 for an arson job. Im not familiar with that fire but it must have been insured for millions.

A bit off topic but I remember when the Piquette Market burned some years back. Coincidentally it was the day after a bunch of firefighters were laid off, some of them were heard saying "burn baby burn" as they hosed down what seemed to be the wrong ares of the fire. Another rumor was that the building which had only two tenants was insured for 7 million. I couldnt believe they couldnt have stopped that fire if they wanted to, an entire courtyard burned from one spot.

Do I have this right? You're saying firefighters deliberately let a building burn and chanted "burn, bany burn" as they pointed the water AWAY from the fire? That's a pretty outrageous claim. Could you elaborate? Wasn't the Piquette Market part of the old auto plant that was destroyed in that huge, fire-alarm blaze that burned for days?

**Hamtragedy** · December-05-11, 12:46 AM

I dunno Django. The area directly behind me in Hamtramck, on the Detroit side, west of Campau, has been burning for the last 10 years. Countless times, I'd awake in the middle of the night to the smell of smoke, look toward the streetlight on Carpenter, and see if I could see the fog [[smoke). If I couldn't, I'd literally check around my entire house to make sure it wasn't mine, then go back to look at the streetlight. By then I would be awake enough, or see the smoke in the streetlight, and determine it was the firebugs, and not my own house.

The area has cleared out nearly as much as the area near Chene & The Ford. I'd say it just the firebugs. I have watched more substantial houses burn on the Blvd, after having being vacated, then homeless occupied, and assuming careless fire-place fires, for warmth, featuring large pieces of molding hanging out beyond the hearth, because there was nothing to cut the large pieces with, and all the smaller stuff has already been burned.

**Django** · December-05-11, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by Carey

Do I have this right? You're saying firefighters deliberately let a building burn and chanted "burn, bany burn" as they pointed the water AWAY from the fire? That's a pretty outrageous claim. Could you elaborate? Wasn't the Piquette Market part of the old auto plant that was destroyed in that huge, fire-alarm blaze that burned for days?

No. word was that one firefighter was overheard saying burn baby burn, the day after almost 100 firefighters were laid off. The firefighters were there for days putting it out. Im not an expert but if you were familiar with the Piquette its hard to understand how the entire place burned, maybe it was unstoppable though. I have much respect for all firefighters. Just found it curious that the Piquette just happened to catch fire the day after the big layoff.That was a bigass fire.

**Detroitnerd** · December-05-11, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by rjk

I'm having a hard time believing that.
You look at some of the people in that area I think they'd torch just about anything for a few hundred bucks.

Well, the building in question was a large one, several stories. I don't doubt you could pay a firebug a few hundo for a house.

**Detroitnerd** · December-05-11, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by Django

No. word was that one firefighter was overheard saying burn baby burn, the day after almost 100 firefighters were laid off. The firefighters were there for days putting it out. Im not an expert but if you were familiar with the Piquette its hard to understand how the entire place burned, maybe it was unstoppable though. I have much respect for all firefighters. Just found it curious that the Piquette just happened to catch fire the day after the big layoff.That was a bigass fire.

You are talking about the E-M-F/Studebaker Plant [[201-285 Piquette) on Piquette between Brush and John R. The ceiling had already fallen in on one side. Was the other section used for the meat market? Because it seems I heard it smelled horrible after whatever meat hadn't burned started rotting after the fire.

Here's a look at the fire.

http://vimeo.com/2638177

**Django** · December-05-11, 05:03 PM

Cant be sure Detroitnerd but that sure looks like the fire. The meat place was on the East side of the courtyard, the West seemed mostly vacant, the South side of the courtyard held a storage facility and the NE corner was rented to a longtime Detroit plumber who I talked to after the fire and as I remember he didnt have any insurance, he lost out the most as far as I can tell. I really felt for him. He was there for days after the fire trying to dig out whatever he could from the rubble.

**Carey** · December-06-11, 03:57 PM

Respectfully, I would say there's a lot of hearsay behind your original post that "some" firefighters were chanting "burn, baby burn, as they deliberately screwed up the battling of a five-alarm blaze. Your second post says "word was" that it was "one firefighter." It's a pretty serious charge, and it just seems like flimsy evidence upon which to slur members of an embattled department, especially at a time when city workers are on the bubble. Do you know for sure that 100 firefighters had been laid off the day before? Just asking.

**detroitsgwenivere** · December-06-11, 05:41 PM

^^ ^^
How serious a charge can this really be? Just this summer the Firechief got on television and announced that one of their policy changes included letting vacant structures burn.

**Carey** · December-07-11, 12:03 AM

I guess I don't see your logic. The building in question wasn't totally abandoned; the fire crews were fighting to manage an out-of-control fire; there's really no real evidence they were chanting "burn, baby, burn.