March 07--One person is in custody in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a woman at a Detroit apartment building, which was ravaged by a fire on Wednesday, a source familiar with the investigation said Thursday.
The massive fire, which broke out at the Jason Manor Apartments early Wednesday, has been ruled an arson, Detroit Fire Chief of Arson Charles Simms said Thursday.
Simms declined to talk about specifics on how the fire started because of an ongoing criminal investigation that may be connected to the fire.
Just hours before the blaze broke out, officers responded to a call about an alleged sexual assault during a party at an apartment in the complex earlier that morning. A 19-year-old woman told police she was raped by four men at an apartment in the building.
A source familiar with the investigation said a man is in custody in connection with the alleged sexual assault, police are looking for another man and are investigating the identities of two others. Another man was questioned and released Thursday, the source said.
Police said Wednesday a call about the alleged assault came in at 2:52 a.m. and officers were at the scene at 3:11 a.m.
The fire started at about 6 a.m.
.
"We came to the conclusion this morning that we were going to rule it an arson," Simms said.
Fire officials previously said they suspect an accelerant was used to start the blaze.
No bodies have been found at the complex, and no arrests have been made, Detroit Police 3rd Deputy Chief Rodney Johnson said Thursday.
Simms said: "We don't have any indication that there are bodies still in there."
He said an arson dog was to be at the scene Thursday to search for additional evidence. The Fire Department expects to wrap up its investigation by this weekend.
On Wednesday, firefighters rescued about 25 people from the burning building.
Many of the fire victims didn't have insurance.
St. Vincent de Paul had received about $6,000 in donations, as well as furniture and household goods from about 100 donors, executive director Bill Brazier said. The cash donations are to be used used to buy the people mattresses and for security deposits, he said.
The company that owns the complex has scrambled to move residents to other properties. .
"I put myself in their shoes. These (are) people who lost everything they have, and they don't even have any shoes to wear," Allen Rostan, office manager with Tri-County Management, said. "I have to work fast, we are 24-7 on the clock."
Campus Pastor Courtney Williams of Redford Aldersgate United Methodist Church said about 50 people from the apartment building were helped Wednesday at their temporary shelter, where people were given food and clothing.
Quentin King, 43, lost everything in the fire and said he had no insurance. He said he lived in the building for 10 years. He and some other residents returned to the scene Thursday, as did onlookers wanting to see the damage from the four-alarm fire.
King said he returned that morning "just to look."
Contact Robert Allen: [email protected]. Staff writer Ann Zaniewski contributed to this report.
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