BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

Detroit firefighters under fire for posing in photo in front of burning home

REMINDS ME OF FIGHTING FIREMEN OF GANGS OF NEW YORK  
OR FIREMEN IN FAHRENHEIT 451

JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press,
USA TODAY•January 2, 2020



A screengrab from the Detroit Fire Incidents Page Facebook group.

DETROIT – Detroit's fire commissioner says he will investigate the circumstances of a New Year's Eve photograph posted on social media showing 18 firefighters posing in front of roaring house fire, according to media reports.

The photo was posted on the "Detroit Fire Incidents Page" on Facebook along with the caption "crews take a moment to get a selfie on New Years!" In the background is a house engulfed in flames. The post has since been taken down.

Detroit Fire Commissioner Eric Jones told WXYZ-TV in a statement that if the photo "is verified," then "discipline will be in order."

“There are a lot of ways to celebrate a retirement," Jones said in the statement. "Taking a photo in front of a building fire is not one of them."