UPI
DETROIT — An epidemic of fires in Detroit was the work of high winds and downed wires Tuesday and not of arsonists, Fire Chief Greg Williams said.
Williams said the wind brought down tree limbs that struck electrical lines, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Capt. Steve Varnas, at a fire that began in late afternoon and gutted 17 buildings, agreed with the chief.
“There’s no fire bug here,” Varnas said. “Throughout the whole city, the same thing is happening: Wires down everywhere.”
While the cause was different, the day and night were eerily similar to the Devils Night arson orgies that used to plague Detroit on the night before Halloween.
Williams, a veteran of more than 36 years with the Detroit department, said the day was one of the busiest he has experienced.
“I haven’t had anything like this in 20 years,” he said.
Fire Capt. Dan McNamara said while the wind may have caused the fires, cuts in the number of firefighters and the equipment available hampered the department’s response. McNamara called the fires a “major embarrassment.”
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