Packard Plant on Fire

**Krawlspace** · June-08-09, 09:30 PM

Main building center north, looked to be the 4th or 5th floor.
Most of the windows for about a 50 yard stretch glowing orange.
Flames visible from the west side of the structure, smoke all the way up Mt. Elliott at 9pm.
Ch. 4 was there, so maybe a mention on the 11pm news?
Nothing on their site at the moment.

"Packard... Ask the man who owns one."

**cycledetroit** · June-08-09, 09:35 PM

updates???

**Detroitej72** · June-08-09, 09:55 PM

There seems to be a fire inside the plant every month or so.

**rjk** · June-08-09, 10:02 PM

It was on fire a few weeks ago. I couldn't see flames, but the sky was filled with black smoke. That place must be a pain in the ass for the DFD.

Retroit · June-08-09, 10:08 PM

Tim Pamplin on the scene at the Pack-ARD plant. Fire department will let the fire burn out since the ground is too unstable for the trucks to reach the fire. May take a few days.

**Lowell** · June-08-09, 10:09 PM

It appears they are going to let it burn itself out. The firefighter can't close in on it and I don't blame them. Stay away and stay safe. Many of the buildings and much of the paved streets are unstable and hazardous.

I know that one of those upper floors have giant bales of used clothing that would burn like crazy.

I am going to guess that some scrapper's blow torch is the culprit.

**aoife** · June-08-09, 10:13 PM

The 11:00 news on WDIV said that HAZMAT has shown up to assist with the burning plastic situation and has warned people who live "in the path" of the smoke to stay indoors with windows shut.

That fire is huge- they said it will probably have to burn out on it's own over the next since the fire department equipment can't make it in.

**buildingsofdetroit** · June-08-09, 10:56 PM

You have gotta admit that it's a coincidence that the same day the DEGC and city rush to tear down Tiger Stadium, despite preservationists' efforts to actually SAVE the city and, God forbid, bring millions of dollars of development to the city, the Packard burns. The Packard has been abandoned for what? Half a CENTURY and certainly had more steel and metal in its confines than Tiger Stadium. Nobody is fighting to save it. It's clearly dangerous, especially the bridge over E. Grand Blvd. Yet the city doesn't even think to tear it down. What a joke this city is.

**MrNittany** · June-09-09, 04:34 AM

Free Press story Tuesday morning on Packard Plant. Unsafe situation all the way around.

http://www.freep.com/article/2009060...ard+Plant+burn

**Baselinepunk** · June-09-09, 06:00 AM

Man, I've thrown my fair share of paintballs inside that place. That collapsed bridged was always nuts to run through back then cause the boards would vibrate with people's strides and show ground for a brief moment.

The Freep article was saying that there is still a bunch of stuff in there. I remember all kinds of small boats, cars, campers etc all throughout Splatball City's courses. We used to play "Protect the President" and we would hide on the top floor because there were massive palette piles of clothes stacked at times 10-12 ft high throughout the room that provided great cover. Had a lot of "kills" in that room.

Ah .... memories .....

**Pam** · June-09-09, 06:56 AM

Why are there things like clothes and shoes in there, that could have been re-used?

The complex is owned by a company called Bioresource Inc., which emerged with the title after a lengthy court battle with the City of Detroit. City officials say the firm has failed to pay Detroit taxes since it bought the plant in 1987. State records show Bioresource has not filed an annual report since 2000 and was declared dissolved by the state in 2003.

So what does this mean? How can it be owned by a company that apparently does not exist?

**Baselinepunk** · June-09-09, 07:06 AM

"Why are there things like clothes and shoes in there, that could have been re-used?"

That's what we were thinking, too. But, even back then [[about early/mid 90's) those clothes and shoes were pretty worthless. They looked like they had been stacked in some sort of order, but there was this layer of black gunk that had accumulated over time that ruined that stuff. It was pretty nasty shit; we'd only get around that stuff to hide and tried to avoid actually getting on the piles.

**Danny** · June-09-09, 07:42 AM

Fire caused by squatters! They just needed a nice chimney fire to warm the chilly late spring June.

**vintagesoul** · June-09-09, 08:10 AM

yeah the shoes are weird. there are/were gaylords and gaylords, and just piles of shoes in there. that was as of a month ago. there are at least 10 boats throughout, probably more, and an old delivery truck, a car, a winnebago...but that's just what i have seen...lol. not to mention all the remanants of an old auto factory...door panels, tires, pallets, tubing, various components and electronics...yipes.

oh yeah, and paper. lots and lots of paper throughout. shredded papers, old manuals, books, records...

i feel bad for that chemical processing place. i've seen it. it's right in the middle of one of the most decayed parts of the complex. it's strange - the facade is painted, the cement is new and there's landscaping. but the place is tiny so it looks so weird...i guess they are trying....

**Linda from Detroit** · June-09-09, 08:20 AM

Such a shame

My dad used to work on one of the upper floors at the plant on W Grand Blvd and every Friday [[after paychecks were issued) a fire would get started on the lower levels and he would end up working until he saw the smoke coming up through the floor boards before he evacuated. I guess you can get used to anything.

**Hypestyles** · June-09-09, 02:46 PM

.... if someone in city government were to get more involved in pitching Detroit as a place to house movie studios, the Packard grounds would be a good place to start, demolish everything that's unfixable, rehab the rest..

Ravine · June-09-09, 08:11 PM

Well, there it is!! A fine idea.
Whose money is going to pay for that, now?
I can't hear yoooou...

LodgeDodger · June-09-09, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by Ravine

Well, there it is!! A fine idea.
Whose money is going to pay for that, now?
I can't hear yoooou...

Honey, did you pass up your daily serving of the Kool-Aid?

LodgeDodger · June-09-09, 08:34 PM

Normally, I think of myself as a glass half-full type of person. Yet, with this economy, the state of the City of Detroit, and people just scrabbling to survive, how can anyone suggest site re-use like a movie studio for the broken down Packard Plant?

MIRepublic · June-09-09, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by Pam

So what does this mean? How can it be owned by a company that apparently does not exist?

I was wondering the same thing, myself, and simply chalk it up to poor researching and writing. It would have been better to say that it was last owned by such-and-such, or that the current ownership is in question.

**Hypestyles** · June-10-09, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by LodgeDodger

Normally, I think of myself as a glass half-full type of person. Yet, with this economy, the state of the City of Detroit, and people just scrabbling to survive, how can anyone suggest site re-use like a movie studio for the broken down Packard Plant?

there's the allen park studio that's being built.. also the announcement on the studio coming to Pontiac.. http://tinyurl.com/mbg5by

a movie production studio won't be some ultimate savior, but if the Mayor is serious about trying to attract alternative industries to the city [[besides mass-manufacturing), film's one of them.. if a deal can be struck to have job training [[for the technical/professional positions) to hire city residents, all the better..