Photo by Motor City Muckraker
You might recall late last month that the home of rookie Detroit firefighter Donnie Dickerson was gutted by fire. The community raised more than more than $10,000 to help him.
Now, Steve Neavling of Motor City Muckraker reports that firefighters found an illegal electrical hookup in the back. He also reported that DTE confirmed that the home at 2152 Concord on Detroit's east side was not receiving legal electrical services.
DTE is investigating whether an illegal hookup triggered the fire, Muckraker reports.
Authorities tell Deadline Detroit that the fire's cause is under investigation. It is unclear if the illegal electric hookup started it.
Nonetheless, Fire Chief Edsel Jenkins tells Neavling:
“The fire that occurred at the firefighter’s home last week was ruled accidental. Electrical has been ruled out as a possible cause of the fire. It appears to have started on the sofa in the living room.”
Neavling writes:
But the lone occupant at the time of the fire, Dickerson’s cousin, James Cox, told us the fire couldn’t have started on the sofa – or anywhere near it – because he was sleeping on the couch when he was awoken by flames in the rear of the house, where the illegal electrical hookup was.
“No, the fire definitely didn’t start in the living room,” said Cox, who was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. “There were a lot of flames in the back of the house.”
Muckraker also says a drug operation was found in the field next door. Neavling reports that firefighters found a garden hose snaking from the burning house to an adjacent lot where marijuana plants were found.
Detroit Police said Monday there was no proof that the drugs in the adjacent lot are tied to the burning house.
