Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
Video by: BoxAlarmDetroit. Video info: Companies were dispatched to a reported fire in a Family Dollar Store at McNichols and Joseph Campau Street in Detroit. Chief 8 arrived and found smoke coming from the occupied commercial building, and requested two additional companies for RIT and manpower. Early on the chief ordered that no companies to enter the building or go on the roof due to the construction of the building and the large HVAC units on the roof. Entry to the back of the building required sawing through a steel rolling door, which led only to a stockroom and not the fire. Companies then used sledgehammers to break a hole in the back of the building to access the fire. Employees of the business advised there were cleaning chemicals near the fire, and the chief requested Haz-mat. Fire conditions rapidly deteriorated, at which point a second alarm was called, and companies were moved out of the collapse zone while tower operations were set up. Ladder 17 began to overheat at the scene, and was replaced by Ladder 7. The fire was brought under control within an hour, and completely extinguished by 11:30.
