2 Detroit Firefighters Injured In 'Angel's Night' Fires
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Officials say two Detroit firefighters were hurt as a series of blazes hit the city amid its annual Halloween season anti-arson campaign.
One received a neck injury when a tree branch fell, and the other was burned, but — WWJ Newsradio 950 was told both firefighters' injuries were minor.
Detroit residents and others have been on patrol this week as part of the so-called "Angel's Night" annual anti-arson campaign for the pre-Halloween period that once saw an upsurge of fires.
Detroit fire Senior Chief Larry Gassel said "the city was pretty busy" Wednesday night and early Thursday — although the city isn't yet releasing statistics,
WWJ's Mike Campbell spoke with Detroit Fire Captain Mark Kossarek of Ladder 23 who was working to stretch fire hoses a couple of blocks at an abandoned house fire at Racine and Nashville after dealing with a broken water main.
"This one was going for a while. When we pulled up there was a fire first floor, second floor ... so we went to a defensive attack on it.
Kosarek said they were busy on the overnight Wednesday shift, but no one on his crew was hurt.
Thursday is the last night for Angel's Night patrols in Detroit, and Kosarek said they're hoping for a better Halloween day and night.
Flint Fire Chief Dave Cox Jr. told MLive.com there were four fires reported on what's traditionally known as Devil's Night, amounting to "just an average night" in the city.
Flint's patrolling program is similar to Detroit's.
Detroit's Halloween season fire totals were expected to be released next week.
(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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.)
