Suspicious Fire Destroys Detroit Home, Damages Others

April 25, 2014
A ruptured gas line spewed flames for more than two hours.

April 25--A ruptured gas line spewed flames more than two hours after a fire burned three houses, leveling one of them, on Detroit's west side this morning.

One house was occupied, another was vacant, and the one where the fire started had been recently occupied by Angie Morse, 37, and Demitris Holder, 47.

"There's nothing salvageable," Morse said. She arrived this morning at the home on Allendale Street just west of I-96 to see concrete steps but no house, just flames and debris.

Detroit Fire Arson Chief Charles Simms said the fire is suspicious and investigators haven't ruled out arson or a broken gas line as the cause.

Vivian Glenn, 55, was awakened by firefighters at about 4:50 a.m. as flames came out of the home next door. She's on oxygen for a medical condition and has a "no smoking" sign on her door, but firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to her home. She said the middle house burned quickly, and she and other neighbors don't believe it was an accident.

Morse and Holder said they didn't know how the fire started but said they'd heard someone was seen leaving from the scene.

By 7 a.m., flames extended about 10 feet above the debris as crews worked to get the gas turned off. The gas was turned off by 7:30 a.m. and by 8 a.m. firefighters had left the scene.

No injuries were reported.

Morse and Holder had lived there about a year before the utilities were turned off about a month ago, she said, adding that cooler temperatures had them staying with family.

"I got nothing," Holder said. "All our clothes, dishes, furniture -- everything."

Their house was leveled, while the ones on either side were heavily damaged from smoke and flames.

Copyright 2014 - Detroit Free Press

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