Detroit is on fire tonight

[liberal N proud]

High winds fuel fires across Detroit
Downed power lines ignite at least 24 blazes; one burns 17 structures



DETROIT, Mich. — At least two dozen fires raged across large sections of Detroit Tuesday night as winds knocked over power lines and fanned flames.

Electricity was knocked out to 113,000 Michigan homes and businesses, said DTE Energy and CMS Energy Corp.

No injuries were reported.

“There’s no fire bug here,” Detroit Fire Department Capt. Steve Varnas told the Detroit Free Press as he surveyed the damage from a blaze in the area of Van Dyke and 7 Mile that had claimed at least 17 structures. “Throughout the whole city, the same thing is happening: Wires down everywhere.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39049112/ns/us_news-life/

[notadmblnd]

1. This is what happens when the power company doesn't do their tree trimming.

Of course it's been contracted out. Needless to say, they're getting paid to do nothing, obviously.

[salin]

7. add tinder of abandoned structures

in the US we don't often think of wild fires in urban areas - unless they are in traditional wild fire areas. When I worked in Detroit and lived in the area, I wasn't aware of traditional wildfire alerts (ice storms, check. period tornadic storms, check. but among common potential natural disasters, wild fires were not one.)

[notadmblnd]

16. Well I've lived in Mich all my life

(only worked in Detroit) and the power companies have always trimmed our trees near power lines. Once it was contracted out to another corporation, it became hit or miss. I live in a wooded area here in Waterford and I haven't seen them come around this year to trim trees, but I've trimmed my own this year. Also, you are mistaken about wild fires in Michigan. There are a lot of state and national forests in northern Mich and we've had wild fires in the state quite often. Now the homes in the cities catching fire from down wires is a new phenomenon, usually only happens during storms. But it has been windy the past few days:shrug:

[ananda]

13. Exactly.

I was thinking the same thing. Only I keep thinking that Detroit
is so stressed that it probably couldn't afford to cut back the trees
and clear out all the branches, brush, and debris.

I bet there are whole areas that are like tinderboxes.

[kwassa]

2. reminds me of devil's night, however.

a long history of burning houses in Detroit.

[liberal N proud]

9. This is weather related

No arson involved here

[lonestarnot]

3. Damn. Is there a storm or wind or what?

[liberal N proud]

10. Even here in Cleveland area, the wind is ferocious tonight

[whyverne]

4. I might vote for my first republican if he or she said

"We're going to bury all the power lines".

[lonestarnot]

6. I wouldn't even then!

[shraby]

5. How come I see only one man with a hose trained on the

fire??? The other houses should have water being sprayed on the roofs so they don't burn too.

[TheMadMonk]

11. Because he's all there is. And his contract expires at noon.

People here joke about making right wing nutjobs forego publicly funded services (ie. fire) since they are so against govt. interference.

Guess what? Everyone's foregoing.

And for the first time in decades (generations?) people are going to get a bloody good taste of America's greatest ideals: "rugged individualism" and "by your own bootstraps".

[Liberal_in_LA]

8. poor detroit

[metapunditedgy]

12. When I lived there, I remember stories of neighbors burning down crack houses

because the city wouldn't do anything about them.

[blue sky at night]

14. I live south of cleveland.....

its almost pitiful how dry everything is around here, we haven't had a good rain in weeks and weeks.

[lib2DaBone]

15. OMG They said they had no more Fire trucks to dispatch because of Budget Cuts

..an awful sign of the times...

good video of fires http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/detroit-fire-battling-several-blazes-20100907-wpms

[Bozita]

17. link to Detroit Fire Dept. radio feed ...

http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?action=wp&feedId=805

[proteus_lives]

18. Damn, it's like Devil's Night.