An apartment fire guts several units on Detroit’s east side, but the real story is the terrifying events that led up to the fire.
According to a resident of the Roseberry Apartments, two men robbed her and a friend before trashing their apartment and setting a fire.
The woman declined to go on-camera and asked that 7 Action News does not share her name because she is afraid someone is out to kill her. She did, however, describe the events leading up to the fire that left the entire building unlivable.
“The terrorized me for 30 minutes,” she said, describing how the intruders had drawn guns and threatened the lives of the two women multiple times.
Police, however, are viewing the situation in a very different light.
According to a public information officer with the Detroit Police Department, they believe the fire began following an argument of some sort. Noting that a man who may have started the fire was injured, and was among those being interviewed.
Police are not investigating a forced-entry into the woman’s home as she indicated, but she was interviewed by police on scene outside the apartment fire early Monday morning.
Fire crews have labeled the fire suspicious, a pre-cursor to calling the incident an arson investigation.
At least one fire fighter on scene noted that a number of the homes appeared to be powered by extension chords from nearby homes. Neighbors declined to speak on camera, but at least one person noted that he avoided the apartment complex for years.
Both the fire and police investigations are considered ongoing.
