MORE TO COME?

This week there was a devestating series of fires that ripped through Detroit.

 Fuled by high winds there were 85 homes and structures that burned in different part of the city. Various official claimed that it was an act of God and therefore should be determined to be classified a "natural disaster". However questions have arisin about the response time and coordination of Detroit's fire department. It becomes obvious that 988 firefighters and 66 companies are too few for a city that still covers 140 square miles and has 800,000 people living in and around 2-million-people worth of buildings.

Also, how did all these fires start simultaneously on a not-so-unusual windy night? Reports have surfaced that some could have been arson and many were started when downed power lines, which were spliced by residents stealing power in underpopulated and blighted neighbourhoods, came down and sparked fires near vacant wooden houses.

Are the fires a result of the Detroit circumstances? and more importantly what happens when a "disaster" of this magnitude happens in terms of response?

Reports after the fact revealed that some fires were never even attended by response crews. Other fire and police services took over an hour to respond and crews from 6 nieghbouring cities had to be dispatched to assist Detroit responders. Sadly, the 911 system all suffered near catastophic failure and seemed to be abandoned entirely.

"It didn't have to be like this," said Sharon Kelso, who said she dialed 911 several times to report a small fire in the alley behind her northwest Detroit home, which eventually escalated into a blaze that destroyed several homes.


"I called 911 and the phone rang and rang," Kelso said. "Finally, the call was disconnected. Then I drove to the fire station a few blocks away; nobody was there. A Detroit traffic officer came up and saw the fire, and he was trying to get through to someone, but he wasn't getting anybody, either. So we just stood there and watched while this thing got bigger and bigger. Finally, an hour later, they sent one truck."

What happens when it's a real disaster.?