WDIV
Reprinted with Permission

DETROIT - A burning two-story building in Detroit partially collapsed during a suspicious blaze Friday, injuring six firefighters.


Detroit EMS confirmed that the injured firefighters were taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital and St. John Hospital after the building's roof collapsed.

Detroit Fire Commissioner James Mack said three were in critical condition and three were in fair condition, with one firefighter having been paralyzed from the waist down and another needing to be intubated.

Names, Condition of Injured:
Brandon Milewski -- 11 years service -- critical condition

Eric Jurmo -- 11 years service -- critical condition

Brian Baluch -- 9 years service -- critical condition

Jeron Whitehorn -- 8 years service -- treated and released

Shayne Raxter -- 9 years service -- fair condition

Gerald Rutowski -- 23 years service -- fair condition

Mack said when the building crumbled, bricks fell onto the firefighters -- which resulted in broken bones for many of the firefighters.

Around 9:30 a.m., Detroit Mayor Dave Bing arrived at Receiving Hospital.

"It's a tough situation to deal with," Bing said. "You don't know the people, but since I've been in this office, they're are part of my family, too."

Bing said he had already met with the families of the injured firefighters.

"Everybody is pulling together," he said.

A large group of firefighters had also gathered outside the hospital.

"It does break our hearts, but our hearts are already broken," one firefighter said outside the hospital. "We're just going to try to be tough and support their families. We have some serious injuries going on here. It's a life-changing day for all of us."

The fire at the building near Jefferson Avenue and Dickerson Street was classified as two-alarm and started just after 6 a.m.

Mack said the incident is being investigated as an arson. He said the building had caught fire and had been extinguished two hours before, but that it rekindled.

"The job is dangerous. We don't need situations in this city where people are starting fires," Mack said. "People think this is a joke or think it's funny. But we don't need it, because people can get hurt. People can get killed."

The building housed a phone business, beauty salon and liquor store.

Clouds of dark smoke shrouded the scene mid-morning but dissipated as crews poured water on top of the building.

Witnesses said they heard two loud explosions before seeing the flames.

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