DETROIT (WXYZ) — A handful of homes appear to have been torched on Detroit’s west side, along Spokane street near Joy Rd. & Livernois.
“We just moved to the area and this is really concerning, since we have kids,” says neighbor Joseph Motyka.
According to Motyka, flames broke out nearby at 6 a.m. Wednesday, and the fire spread from one home to two others. Right now, investigators with the DFD arson unit are looking into what’s described as a recent rash of fires.
“They could absolutely be the work of an arsonist,” says Chief Pat McNulty, the department’s head of arson investigations.
7 Action News has learned that another suspicious fire was set on Sunday, and two others back in January. The department is now offering a reward of as much as $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. One firefighter is also now recovering from serious injuries, after being struck in the head with debris.
“He’s been released from the hospital, after he took a hard hit. That was at the scene of the fire this morning” says Chief McNulty. “There were signs people may have been staying at one of the homes possibly squatting at the property, based on some of our findings and other suspicious circumstances” he adds.
