Fire Damages Face of Chaldean Catholic Community Center
By, Crystal A. Proxmire
At around 2 P.M. on March 16, 2010 Mary Tsouris of Helena Salon called 911 when the air became thick with smoke from The Chaldean Catholic Community Center next door at 23340 Woodward Ave. A police officer arrived on the scene first and used a portable fire extinguisher to snuff the majority of the fire, which was smoldering in the exterior wall facing Woodward. Firefighters then used their hoses to completely douse the fire, which Fire Chief Roger Schmidt says was most likely caused by a discarded cigarette.
Firemen cut away part of the face of the building, which was a wooden façade set in front of a brick wall. They also had to cut their way into the building to make sure that no fire had spread inside. Schmidt estimated damage at $3,500.
A Busy St. Patrick’s Day for Ferndale Fire Department
By, Crystal A. Proxmire
The Ferndale Fire Department reported an extra-busy St. Patrick’s Day this March 17, 2010. “A normal day has maybe seven runs,” said Fire Chief Roger Schmidt. “But from 8 A.M. until 8 A.M. the following morning we responded to 17 runs. The runs included one false alarm, a small car fire on Woodward at W. Maplehurst, a mutual aid run to Madison Heights, a grass fire in Royal Oak Township, a dumpster fire, a downed power line, a smoke investigation, two car accidents and eight medicals. One accident was a bus on W.8 Mile, and the other was a car that hit a utility pole at Ridge Road and Oakland Park in Pleasant Ridge. Several of the medical calls were the direct result of celebrations on the holiday.”
The city is currently looking into the possibility of merging the Ferndale Fire Department with one or more departments from other cities. Check out our story at http://www.ferndale115.com/20p11firedept.html.
