Thanks for Nothing

It's sure good to know you can always count on your neighbors in a moment of desperate need. Unless, of course, those neighbors happen to be Burton, Clio, Davison and Grand Blanc.

Laura Angus of The Flint Journal reports:

Burton’s fire chief to Flint: “We’re not responding.”

In the midst of a rash suspected arsons, the layoff of 23 Flint firefighters and the shuttering of two of the city’s five fire stations last week, Burton and other fire departments around Genesee County are telling Flint that it is on its own.

“I can’t solve the city’s problems,” said Burton Fire Chief Doug Halstead. “I have taxpayers in Burton who are my first priority. Those taxpayers are the ones that I will take care of.”

Clio and Davison have already told the city it can’t rely on them for mutual fire aid and the Grand Blanc Fire Commission is expected to take up the question this month.

When Flint sent out a plea for fire help early Thursday, Burton and Grand Blanc were not among the seven fire departments that sent firefighters into the city.

With friends like these...

Flint Fires Map

View Flint Fires in a larger map

Thanks to Steve for creating this informative map that captures the scope of the Flint fire crisis.

Flint Fires: Wellington Street

Tara Sifferman, a Flint resident, took several shots of a Thursday morning fire at 211 W. Wellington. The fire destroyed two houses and damaged a third. Go here to see Sifferman's photos in The Flint Journal. And there were more fires Friday night.

Flint Fires: More Houses Torched

Another day, another batch of new fires in Flint.

Laura Angus of The Flint Journal reports:

Fire damaged or destroyed eight homes in a rash of fires this morning, continuing a rash of blazes in the city after 23 firefighters were laid off last week.

Firefighters were dispatched to five fire calls in three hours, starting at 1:16 a.m. at 211 W. Wellington, Battalion Chief Andy Graves said. Four of the five calls involved fires that began in abandoned buildings.

Flint Fires: Fire Fighters Struggle to Respond

Flintoid Johnny Mason took this photo near Court and Corunna at 7 a.m. today on his way to work.

More suspected cases of arson in Flint this week.

David Harris of The Flint Journal reports:

An abandoned house caught fire around 5:45 a.m. at 1713 Jane Avenue, near Franklin. It started in the living room and kitchen area, said Andy Graves, battalion chief.

Fire crews were responding to two fires simultaneously late last night, Graves said. The first was around 10 p.m. at an old apartment building at Oak Street near Court. One firefighter injured her foot when a nail went through her boot. She was treated and released, Graves said.

Flint Fires: Readers Respond

Reader J.L. comments on the recent Flint fires:

These fires have really saddened me. Granted, the homes that burned the other night were (mostly) in pretty bad shape and weren't architecturally significant, and most were on the demolition list, but I didn't want to see them go down that way. Two burned yesterday in the neighborhood south of Chevy in the Hole, which completely made me angry. One was an apartment house in horrible shape, and the other an amazing, 2,000+ sq. ft. brick house on Glenwood that just needed a little work to be great again.

I'm not that worried about my neighborhood (Mott Park), since all of these fires have been at vacant houses in underpopulated areas. What I am worried about is having all of our firefighters busy and then having a real emergency they have to take care of.

I'm a big fan of Dayne Walling, voted for him, and still think he can do great things for us. Unfortunately, he cut too much from public safety and not enough from his own cabinet.

Flint Fires: Map and Timeline

Go here for a map and timeline of the fires in Carriage Town and the Grand Traverse neighborhood.

Here's an overview of the story that ran on Friday in The Flint Journal.

Flint Fires: Mayor Links Fires to Politics

More on the series of fires in Flint.

Laura Angus of The Flint Journal reports:

Mayor Dayne Walling said today that the city is doing everything it can to curb the outbreak of fires, and promised to "not allow criminals and fear to take over this city."

He said investigators believe the fires have been set in routine pattern out to achieve a "perverted political purpose."

Flint Fires

Last night's spate of fires in Flint just before planned layoffs of police and fire fighters has people on edge, especially in Carriage Town and the Grand Traverse area. Residents were out patrolling the neighborhoods last night, and there are plans to board up abandoned houses today.

Bill Gainey, who owns the Hiram "Hardwood" Smith house near downtown, emailed me with an update:

Our neighborhoods are under attack. Especially Carriage Town. They seem to be targeting vacant Land Bank houses that are next to another vacant house. This is terrible. I was on patrol for the better part of last night and more of us will be patrolling tonight. This is a lesson for all of us. We should not have any houses wide open for someone to walk off the street and torch it.

Fire Defense

Flint firefighters change their tactics as they deal with blazes in abandoned structures.