Group Says Detroit Fires Not `Natural Disaster¿

DETROIT - More than 750 DTE Energy power lines fell throughout Detroit during Tuesday’s windstorm. Although the power company has said it did what it could, the downed wires set off a series of fires throughout the city.

A committee is speaking out and disagreeing with Mayor Dave Bing, who said Tuesday’s fires were a ’natural disaster’ and could not have been prevented. The group says prevention was possible and DTE Energy is to blame.

’Friday, I (saw) two guys with a ladder hooked up to the pole hooking (up) electricity illegally. I called DTE and nobody (came) out here. The lady (told) me she (was) going to give me a service charge if I called back again,’ said Mary Hargrave.

’I called them first thing again (Tuesday) morning after the long weekend. The fire was still flickering off the wires, and every so often my electricity was coming on and off,’ said Shirley Hargrave. ’She told me, `Well, ma’am, someone will be out. I can’t give you a definite day or time.’’

Attitude and the runaround is what these homeowners claim they got from DTE. Hours later, the firestorm fanned by powerful winds swept through parts of Detroit.

On the east side near Seven Mile Road and Van Dyke, the flames jumped to 20 different structures, some garages and some vacant houses, but many homes where residents were forced to evacuate and watch them burn.

’If DTE did their job, our house wouldn’t be on fire,’ Mary Hargrave said.

That’s the same message The Committee Against Utility Shut Offs is trying to send. The group is speaking out. They claim this was no natural disaster and believe everything from utility shut offs and illegal hookups to overgrown trees and brush to an antiquated infrastructure that’s not maintained are to blame.

’This is nothing natural,’ said Lawrence Porter with the Committee Against Utility Shut Offs. ’It was something waiting to happen, and it will happen again. That’s our fear.’

The group is also calling for an investigation.

’These are socially criminal policies. If anyone else did something like this, they’d be thrown in jail, but yet they can get away with it,’ Porter said.

It’s appears that’s already happening. Officials from the city, DTE and Detroit Fire met Friday morning to analyze the circumstances around Tuesday’s fire, determining that arcing wires, lack of tree cutting and trimming by DTE, data exchange and preparation for storms, illegal hookups and response to downed wires played a role.

However, for some residents in this neighborhood, who say they’ve been trying to get action from DTE for years, it’s a little too late.

’Now look at our community. Everything we have fought for and tried to do, it’s gone,’ said Valeria McKinstry.

DTE, Detroit Fire and city officials plan to meet again next week to follow up on this investigation. In the meantime, they have set up a phone number for all the displaced families, so they can receive local support from agencies. It’s (313) 224-3740.