Demolition Begins on Charred Detroit Homes

DETROIT - Detroit Mayor Dave Bing says 71 buildings in all were damaged in Tuesday’s firestorm. Many residents have a constant reminder of those fires because of all the destruction that was left behind. That means there is a lot of cleaning up to do.

Some 20 homes will be demolished on Moenart and Robinwood streets on the city’s east side. Neighbors can’t wait for them to come down. They’re awful memories of a fiery four hours on Tuesday.

’It usually takes a long time for homes to be demolished in the city, so for them to take care of it right away, that’s a good thing,’ said Charnique Simmons.

’It’s terrible that they have to come down. Obviously, they have to, but there were great people that lived in those houses, great neighbors, and it’s just a tragedy that it happened,’ said Ian Perrotta.

The charred homes were moved to the top of the city’s demolition list. The entire process takes 15 minutes per home. Three on Moenart and at least two others on Robinwood were slated for Friday.