Last night was the first of several planned Angels Nights in Detroit, where volunteers walk and drive the streets looking to report suspicious fires. They find more than you might expect. Between 10 and 40 suspicious fires are reported in the Detroit area every day, and the 30,000 volunteers who showed up for the first Angel Night were there to make sure they all got reported to the fire department efficiently.
From The Detroit News:
"It's very important to participate at a time when there are more abandoned homes and there's a greater potential for fires," Diane Green said. "We have to step up and keep our neighborhood safe." Although fewer volunteers had signed up by Thursday than in previous years, the Northwest Activities Center ran out of the 1,000 Angels' Night hats and lights for volunteers, according to organizer Gail Carr...Volunteer turnout was "phenomenal."..."People wanted to help our city," she said. "They feel like this is something we have to do. The word got out."...On the eastside, Carl Ramsey, the manager of the Neighborhood City Hall on East Seven Mile, said he was proud about the 250 patrols and other volunteers. "It's going well," he said. "The block clubs and the community groups have really stepped up."
Volunteers receive an Angels Night hat, a flashlight and a meal from White Castle. Detroit residents interested in taking part in further Angels Night volunteer walks this week can sign up on www.angelsnight.org or call 313-224-4415.