Crews Smother ‘Devil’s Night’ Fires in Detroit

Firefighters smothered blazes scattered throughout the city late Tuesday and early Wednesday as thousands of volunteers walked the streets to deter arsonists on Devil’s Night, Detroit’s annual Halloween eve fire spree.

Fire officials refused to say how many blazes they fought, but some volunteers said they believed there were fewer than last year. Police said arrests for violating a 6 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew were down by more than a third.

Firefighters and thousands of block-watchers remained on guard Wednesday night.

Fire and police officials on Wednesday refused to discuss the number of fires set. Mayor Coleman Young said the number would be a revealed a news conference today or Friday.

Last year, the mayor’s office reported 223 fires Oct. 29-31, 115 of those on Devil’s Night. The firefighters union, however, said there were more than 400 fires.

Reuters reported that the practice apparently had spread to Flint, Mich., 50 miles north of Detroit, with about 130 fires reported late Tuesday and early Wednesday. The city called in four suburban fire departments for help.