Detroit, MI
4 dead, Detroit firefighter injured in slew of fires. What to know
House fire safety: Essential steps to stay safe
This video outlines critical steps to take in the event of a home fire. It covers calling emergency services, safely evacuating, and ensuring family safety while waiting for professional help.
A fire that claimed three lives in Detroit began with an electrical incident, officials say. Now, in the wake of that deadly blaze, another fatal fire and multiple other recent blazes – including one that injured a firefighter − Detroit fire officials are urging residents to take fire safety steps this holiday season.
Four people died across two fires on Sunday, Dec. 14, and Monday, Dec. 15, in the city, and firefighters tackled three housefires that displaced residents in the early morning hours on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
A cause was not yet available for the Dec. 14 fire that killed a 7-year-old boy, originally reported by officials as a 6-year-old girl. That fire took place in the 12000 block of Rutherford Street, near Greenfield Road, and also left a woman critical and a 4-year-old with smoke inhalation.
In the case of the Dec. 15 fire, more details were beginning to emerge.
A man, a woman and a teen girl all died after a house fire reported about 6 a.m. in the 19000 block of Wildemere Street, near Detroit’s Palmer Park and off 7 Mile Road. An elderly woman was also critical after the fire.
Clutter in the house slowed down rescue efforts, officials previously said.
And speaking to the media on Tuesday, Dec. 16, Fire Investigation Division Chief Dennis Richardson said an electrical event caused the fire, and combustibles in the house contributed to the blaze.
The specifics of the electrical event are still being looked at, but Richardson said the house already had electrical issues, and it’s believed wiring played a role in the fire.
Fire department team members “hate seeing this,” and are trying to convey messages around fire safety this time of year, Richardson said.
A spike in fires
That message is one the department works to share months ahead of the holiday season, said Detroit Fire Marshal Donald Thomas. Headed into next year, the department hopes to use data to work with specific neighborhoods with vulnerable structures that see home heating and electrical fires.
“We do notice that there is a spike in some of the fires that we have during our colder season,” Thomas said.
While the causes are still under investigation, the department also saw multiple houses in flames on Dec. 16:
- A fire was reported about 12:45 a.m. in the 19100 block of Dwyer Street, said Corey McIsaac, Detroit Fire Department media relations director. Firefighters arrived to find fire in one home, but it extended into four homes nearby. One home was occupied, but no one was injured.
- A house fire was also reported just before 3 a.m. in the 19600 block of Charest Street, McIsaac said. Firefighters arrived to find all residents and dogs outside. The fire was put out but rekindled a little after 6 a.m. and was doused again.
- Additionally, a fire was reported just before 3:10 a.m. in the 2100 block of Ashland Street, McIsaac said. The upstairs flat in the two-family home was on fire, and all residents were out when firefighters arrived. One firefighter was injured during the response but was released later in the day.
All displaced residents were connected to the American Red Cross or Detroit Housing Services for housing assistance, McIsaac said.
Fighting time
Fire can double itself every 30 seconds, so residents and responders are “fighting against time” when flames break out, said Detroit Fire Capt. Edward Davis of the Public Instruction Unit.
Steps he suggested to avoid a fire in the first place include:
- Plugging space heaters directly into wall outlets instead of extension cords.
- Not leaving space heaters unattended while sleeping or leaving the home.
- Keeping space heaters on a flat surface and three feet away from clothing, paper products or other combustibles.
- Keeping space heaters away from children and pets, as the little ones can knock the heaters over or get burned.
- Not using ovens or stoves to heat a house.
Steps he recommended to prepare for safety during a fire included:
- Having working smoke detectors and checking them every week.
- Creating a fire safety plan that includes two routes of escape, where to meet and how to alert others in the house without risking personal injury. That last part could be done with whistles or air horns. Additionally, having a plan on how to shelter if escape isn’t possible. Sheltering could include closing a door to slow a fire’s progress.
- Possessing fire extinguishers and knowing how to use them.
- Possessing a ladder, if a resident wants, but being sure where it is and how to use it because of how quickly fire doubles.
The fire department also released additional information on getting fireplaces and furnaces inspected and avoiding the dangers of carbon monoxide in the winter months. For more safety suggestions and details on those, go to detroitmi.gov/fire.
In addition, those facing housing concerns, without proper heat, or displaced from the fires can reach out to the Detroit Housing Resource HelpLine at 866-313-2520.
Detroit, MI
Bruce Campbell announces cancer diagnosis; ‘Fear not,’ he tells fans
Treatment will delay the Royal Oak-born actor’s plans to tour his new film ‘Ernie & Emma’ this summer.
Royal Oak-born movie star and cult hero Bruce Campbell announced on social media on Monday that he has been diagnosed cancer — a type that is “treatable” but not “curable,” he said.
“I apologize if that’s a shock — it was to me too,” the “Evil Dead” star, 67, wrote in a message posted to Instagram.
He went on to say “I’m not gonna go into any more detail,” and he didn’t. He said the public announcement had to do with scaling back appearances on his schedule, including tour dates behind his latest film, “Ernie & Emma.”
Campbell planned to show the movie June 5 at the Redford Theatre; as of Monday night, that date is still on the Redford schedule, but Campbell wrote in his note he plans to get “as well as I possibly can over the summer so that I can tour with my new movie ‘Ernie & Emma’ this fall.”
The movie is written, directed by and stars Campbell as a man who goes on a journey following the death of his wife. Campbell produced the movie alongside his wife, Ida Gearon, and filmed it in Oregon, where he now lives.
Campbell told The News in January he dedicated “Ernie & Emma” to his childhood moviemaking pals, including Scott Spiegel, who died of a heart attack in September 2025.
“It’s a callback to the carefree days of Super 8, where we could do whatever the f–k we wanted to do,” Campbell said of “Ernie & Emma.” “So I thought, ‘All the boys are responsible for this,’ so they’re all in there.”
Campbell got his start making movies around Metro Detroit with his childhood pal, Sam Raimi. Campbell starred in Raimi’s “Evil Dead” trilogy and has since appeared in most of Raimi’s films; Campbell makes a brief appearance in a photograph in the background of an early scene in Raimi’s latest, “Send Help.”
He’s also an author; Campbell’s autobiography “If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor” was published in 2001.
In his post on social media, Campbell thanked fans and said he was not out to elicit sympathy.
“Fear not, I am a tough old son-of-a-bitch and I have great support, so I expect to be around for a while,” he wrote.
agraham@detroitnews.com
Detroit, MI
Michigan State Police sends message to drivers after trooper involved in hit and run:
“Slow down and move over” is the message that Michigan State Police is sending to drivers after one of its troopers in a parked patrol car was struck while investigating a crash this weekend. The driver of that vehicle fled the scene.
Michigan State Police tells CBS News Detroit that we’re two months into the year, and it has had six incidents across the state where patrol cars were struck by oncoming vehicles. One of those incidents occurred on Sunday evening.
“Could have been much more tragic,” said MSP Lieutenant Rene Gonzalez, First District public information officer.
Gonzalez says on Sunday, an MSP trooper was near M-10 and Schaefer Highway in Detroit, simply doing his job, when his patrol car was hit from behind.
“Trooper was out there, and he was investigating a crash when, at the time, a Jeep SUV drove into the rear of the parked vehicle,” Gonzalez said.
The impact slid the trooper’s car into a concrete wall. The 29-year-old Detroit woman driving the Jeep SUV struck the center median, got out of the vehicle, and ran away.
“Not sure why they did it. Maybe not paying attention if they were distracted. They’re attempting to locate her at this time,” said Lt. Gonzalez.
The trooper walked away with minor injuries. Gonzalez says this incident is an example of why Michigan’s Move Over Law was put in place many years ago. The law, which went into effect in 2019, requires drivers to move over into the next lane and reduce their speed by at least 10 mph when emergency or service vehicles — police, fire, rescue, ambulance and road service — have their lights activated.
Drivers who are not able to move over are still required to reduce their speed.
“Trying to do our jobs, however, people are not paying attention. The law is easy. It’s simple. You see us, you see our lights activated, you have to slow down ten miles below the posted speed limit, and then if able, move over to the next occupied available lane,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez says crashes like this can be deadly and often avoided.
“One life lost over something that was a totally preventable crash, it’s way too much. We’re asking that you slow down and move over when you see our lights. It’s a simple message that we’ve been pushing out for years,” he said.
Sunday’s crash remains under investigation. Michigan State Police detectives are still working to track down the 29-year-old suspect.
In the meantime, police are out enforcing the Move Over Law.
Detroit, MI
Rex Satterfield’s 1956 Bel Air takes 2026 Ridler Award in Detroit
The impact and history of autos in Detroit, The Motor City
Here are some facts about Detroit’s auto industry.
Rex Satterfield hoped to see his 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible snag one of the BASF Great 8 finalist spots at this year’s Detroit Autorama. But winning the Ridler Award — one of the highest honors in the custom car business — was something he didn’t foresee.
“It’s just overwhelming right now,” said the man from Russellville, Tennessee, as he left a ballroom at downtown’s Huntington Place and made his way back to the show floor on Sunday, March 1. “We weren’t expecting this.”
Getting a car recognized as one of the BASF Great 8 vehicles is a win in and of itself as they are considered the “absolute pinnacle of custom automotive craftsmanship worldwide,” according to the show. The cars undergo an intensive judging process.
And this effort had an unexpected and emotional complication with the passing in December 2024 of the original builder, Jeff Wolfenbarger, who was battling cancer even as he continued working on the car named “Elegant Lady.”
Kevin Riffey of Kevin Riffey’s Hot Rods and Restorations in Knoxville stepped in to finish the work Wolfenbarger started. He’d had two other cars in the past make the Great 8. He said the goal with this vehicle was straightforward, calling it a “purpose-built show car.”
From its prominent spot at the front of the show floor, “Elegant Lady” sported a creamy exterior, dubbed Light Coffee. The car carries a 1,000 horsepower Don Hardy race engine. The gauges, wheels and gas tank are custom, and the dash is from a 1956 Pontiac.
Satterfield plans to show the car around some and enjoy the moment with it. He said he’s been a car guy since he was a little kid.
The Ridler Award, named in honor of Detroit Autorama’s first publicist, Don Ridler, comes with a $10,000 prize. It was awarded on the final day of this year’s Detroit Autorama, which ran Friday, Feb. 27-Sunday, March 1. This was the event’s 73rd year.
Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Send your tips and suggestions about cool automotive stuff to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
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