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Prison For Arsonist Who Injured 7 Detroit Firefighters

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A man convicted of setting an east side fire that paralyzed a Detroit firefighter and injured six more has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.

Calvin Jones is one of two people convicted in an arson that destroyed a two-story commercial building that housed a Metro PCS store on Jefferson Ave. in 2010. Firefighters were hurt when bricks and debris fell on them.

In May, Jones'  co-defendant Samson Wright pleaded guilty to malicious use of fire.

The 41-year-old Jones' sentence was ordered Thursday by a federal judge in Ann Arbor. He claimed he was forced to participate at gunpoint by Wright, who received a 15-year sentence.

Paralyzed firefighter Brendan Milewski told Jones that he'd be willing to serve the sentence if he could someday walk out of prison.

Brendan Milewski
Paralyzed Detroir firefighter Brendan Milewski (WWJ Photo/Pat Sweeting).

Outside the courthouse, Milewski explained the comment.

"Everyone thinks that being paralyzed is the not walking part," said Milewski. "There's ... a whole lot other stuff that comes along with it. If you don't take an active role and advocate for yourself, you're going to make your whole situation a lot more miserable."

If I can shed a little bit of light on that for people, I'm doing justice for people that are in my situation," he said.

Wright has told authorities that he was hired to set the fire as part of an insurance scam.

The U.S. Attorney's office had sought 30 years.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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