EXTRA PROTECTION TO ISO AVAIL Halloween fire total matches '83 By DAVID KUSHMA Citv-Countv Bureau Chief Even with a sharply increased deployment of fire fighters, vandals set as many fires in Detroit on Devil's Night and Halloween this year as they did last year, according to Fire Department statistics released Friday by Mayor Young's office. In the 48 hours from 12.01 a.m. Oct. 30 to midnight Oct. 31, there were 559 fires set in the city, according to figures compiled by the Fire Marshal's Office 285 on Devil's Night and 274 on Halloween. Last year, 553 fires were recorded on the same two days. About 1 00 fires are reported in Detroit in a normal 24-hour period. CITY OFFICIALS said fire fighters on the two nights also responded to 270 false alarms, 68 fires that were rekindled after they had been extinguished, and 41 non-fire emergencies, for a total of 938 fire incidents. To curb arson and, vandalism on Devil's Night and : - I ( Halloween, Young last month announced a near quadrupling of police patrols, a strict youth curfew, and a 33 percent increase in the normal assignment of fire fighters and equipment measures the mayor called "unprecedented." Detroit Fire Commissioner Melvin Jefferson was not available for comment Friday. Jefferson had vowed last month: "This year will not be anything like last year." He acknowledged last week that the number of fires this year was higher, but he said the damage they caused was less severe. Robert Berg, Young's press secretary, said Friday that there has been "an increasing curve (of Devil's Night and Halloween fires) over the last several years. This year, it was basically a leveling off." NEARLY HALF the fires set this year - 256 -were rubbish fires. Arsonists also set fire to 153 dwellings, 41 of them occupied; 13 apartments, eight of them occupied; 12 commercial buildings, five of The heat of the nights The figures below compare the number of fire-related incidents on Devil's Night and Halloween in 1984 with 1983. WHAT 1984 1983 Fire 559 553 False Alarm 270 119 Rekindled Fire 68 60 Non-Fire Emergency 41 34 TOTAL ' 938 766 WHERE . y 1984 f 1983 Vacant dwelllnoaaptti 117,-. 90 , Occupied dwelllngsapts. 49 v 31. Garages t - 72 50. Vacant Commercial Buildings 7 19 Occupied Commercial Buildings - 5 10 Automobiles 45 43 Rubbish - 256 308 OtherFIre , 8 2 i ( Fire Depaf irnent called and responded; services not requital I' Materials with monetary value not classified as buildings, Structures, vehicles, etc. i - ' 1 Fires restarted after they had been extinguished. ( Source: Detroit Fire Depratment f : try-, See HALLOWEEN, Page 7A
