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Century-Old Home Burns To The Ground On Detroit's East Side

DETROIT (WWJ) - Authorities are investigating a house fire in an east side Detroit neighborhood that might have been started deliberately.

The fire took off early Wednesday morning at a home on St. Aubin between Leland and Alexandrine streets, not far from I-75 and Mack Avenue.

The fire filled the neighborhood with smoke, causing some alarm among residents. But officials at the scene said the home was more than 100-years-old, which is why the fire was so smokey. All that's left now is a pile of rubble.

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(Credit: Mike Campbell/WWJ Newsradio 950)

Jerome Simpson, whose mother lives next door to the home that burned, said his dog alerted him to the blaze, which appears awfully suspicious.

"He reacted and I came to the door and it was up in smoke, just like that," Simpson told WWJ's Mike Campbell. "Somebody threw something in there and the firemen, they concurred with that thinking."

And after these recent events, Simpson is now considering a change of scenery.

"My mom's stayed down there, been on this block for 53 years," he said. "We're going to move her out."

No injuries were reported.

Authorities say it's too early to know for sure what caused the fire. An investigation is ongoing.

 

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