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Detroit Fires Displace Families as Investigators Pin One Fatal Blaze on Electrical Cause

Officials have identified an electrical failure in one deadly incident, prompting renewed heating safety guidance.

Overview

  • Multiple overnight fires from Monday into Tuesday forced evacuations across Detroit with no new fatalities reported.
  • A family of 15 escaped a house fire on Ashland Street after a space heater reportedly ignited an upstairs bedroom and spread to the attic.
  • On Dwyer Street, flames that began in a vacant home leveled two empty structures and damaged a neighboring residence, costing the family Christmas gifts, furniture, and clothing as community fundraising begins.
  • Investigators confirmed an electrical event ignited combustibles in a fatal Wildemere Street fire, while several other case reviews remain active.
  • The Detroit Fire Department is urging weekly smoke-detector checks, safe space-heater practices, and carbon monoxide precautions, and the city is offering emergency housing via the Housing Resource HelpLine at 866-313-2520.