HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. – The Highland Park fire chief is furious over a surprising move by Detroit firefighters who were ordered to gather their hoses and depart while a fire raged behind them.
The incident occurred Monday, Jan. 1, in an occupied apartment building on Tuxedo Street near the Lodge in Highland Park, just across the border from Detroit. Detroit fire crews were the first on the scene and the first to enter the burning building to evacuate people. Highland Park’s chief said the call for Detroit firefighters to leave while the fire continued to spread endangered his crews.
The apartment building is considered a total loss, and two families lost everything.
“It is absolutely not OK,” said Highland Park fire chief Erik Hollowell.
The Detroit Fire Department and the Detroit Firefighters’ Union are praising their fire crew at this apartment fire in Highland Park as heroes. They claim Detroit firefighters swiftly responded to smoke in Highland Park, entered the building and started working.
“Our firefighters responded quickly faster than the other two agencies responded and got in with charged line and got individuals out, saved a woman and a child that were inside a burning building,” said David Levalley.
One firefighter said they were close to putting the fire out when they were ordered to stop, exit and leave.
Video posted to Instagram shows Detroit firefighters calmly picking up hoses, preparing to leave with the fire raging behind them. Even some of the Detroit firefighters present acknowledge that the decision to leave allowed the fire to burn unattended as Highland Park and Hamtramck firefighters worked around Detroit Fire’s trucks outside to enter with more water.
Detroit firefighters said if they are ordered to leave, they must wait for backup to get to the fire.
A high-ranking Detroit firefighter argues that there was no such plan in place, and they should not have left. However, the Detroit Fire Department insists that the video demonstrates backup going in.