Two teenage arson suspects arrested in Pittsfield Township barn fire
Firefighters peer through the side of a barn during a fire on Warner Road in Pittsfield Township on Thursday afternoon. Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Deputy Police Chief Gordy Schick said the two, both males, were arrested at their homes early this morning following an all-night investigation by Pittsfield Township police detectives and fire investigators.
"The detectives have been working endlessly on this since the incident happened," Schick said. "We're still putting the pieces of the puzzle together."
One of the teenagers is a Pittsfield Township resident. The other lives in York Township, Schick said.
Witnesses reported seeing the teenagers near the barn Thursday and reported seeing a vehicle leave the property after the fire started, Schick said.
The suspects will be lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail pending a review of the case by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office, Schick said. Pittsfield Township will be seeking arson and possibly other charges against the two, he said.
The fire broke out about 2:30 p.m. Thursday in a vacant barn near Michigan Avenue and Warner Road that was not connected to any power, firefighters said. The barn was filled with hay and straw and that smoldered for hours.
Firefighters had to get a contractor with a backhoe to tear down part of the barn to allow firefighters to extinguish the smoldering contents.
"You could dump 10,000 gallons of water on that and it would still be going," Fire Commander Sean Gleason said Thursday night.
The fire was one of two that broke out within two hours Thursday in the township. A woman suffered severe burns in a house fire in the 300 block of Hunter Ridge Drive that started about 4 p.m. She was taken to the hospital, but a condition report was not available this morning.
The cause of that fire is under investigation but is believed to be accidental, Gleason said today. Damage was estimated at $175,000.
Gleason said the first fire destroyed the barn, and he estimated damage at $30,000. But it could be higher, he said, if two adjoining barns have to be torn down as a result of the fire.
Comments
S
Tue, May 10, 2011 : 11:21 p.m.
FYI for those of you saying there is no proof these kids did this- I'm thinking it's likely they did. I know for a fact that AT LEAST one of them was involved in a very serious arson in '08. A very expensive car was lit on fire with an accelerant used, and 2 houses caught fire from the car. Luckily, no one was hurt. It's also worth noting that I can't remember all the names, so both may have been involved. Also only one teen was prosecuted, because it's likely the others had no intention of actually performing wrongdoing, they discouraged the fire starter and ran away before the fire was lit. Can't remember which one the guy in this article was though...
julieswhimsies
Sat, Apr 2, 2011 : 10:31 p.m.
I am certainly happy the two alleged arsonists were quickly found. Arsonists are extremely dangerous deviants. I hope, if found guilty, they will be punished to the full extent of the law. I'm assuming no people were injured. There is nothing indicated in the article about horse, or livestock being involved. (Where there is hay, there are animals.) Please reassure me that no animals died or were injured.
:)
Sat, Apr 2, 2011 : 8:23 p.m.
Wonder how many fires these two started? Way to go Pittsfield Township Fire and Police!!! Now we need this millage to pass on May 3rd! Community service will do nothing for these fools. They need time in the slammer and then some!
RJA
Sat, Apr 2, 2011 : 6:35 a.m.
Great Job Pittsfield Township !!! Time in the can and community service should work. Driving down the roads since the snow has melted, you see a lot of trash on the sides of the roads in Pittsfield and York Townships. (paved and dirt) Give these guys a pole and a nail and let them work 8 hours a day.
free
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 10:29 p.m.
Now they can plead guilty to attempted misuse of a flammable device, pay their $50 fines, and be on their way. Hey, a conviction is a conviction, right prosecutors?
neel125
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 9:43 p.m.
This just reinforces my "yes" vote on the public safety millage on May 3. I think Pittsfield fire and police departments are one of the best, if not the best in the County.
Dexterdriver
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 6:16 p.m.
If this allegation proves true I hope these punks are prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law. Fire-bugs are sick deviants, and should be isolated from law abiding society. Hold the comments about "youthful indiscretions", etc. They knew darn well the maliscious nature of their doings and should be held accountable. Time in the can. Forget community service.
sbbuilder
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 6:24 p.m.
Unless the community service would be something like shovelling cow or horse poop for a few months followed by painting old structures followed by, well, you get the idea.
zip the cat
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 5:47 p.m.
Ya slap em on the wrist , about all there going to get in this county. How about making there parents pay for damages
ypsicat
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 11:24 p.m.
*Their* parents cannot be made to pay for damages. At 17, these young men are treated as adults in the legal system. I'd like to see these characters made to do menial work in a burn unit, along with paying restitution.
breadman
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 5:12 p.m.
Two Saline males! No school in Saline this week? That gave them more time too learn too play with matches..........
jeracaas
Tue, Apr 5, 2011 : 4:25 p.m.
This happened last week.
Ellen
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 5:10 p.m.
PS -- weren't the teens supposed to be in school when the fire was set? ~2:30 I'm just wondering if they ditched school, and the parents were notified
Buster W.
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 4:13 p.m.
I thought maybe there was an arson investigation, as a couple fire trucks were still at the scene this morning around 8am.
ChunkyPastaSauce
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 4:01 p.m.
Wonder if there was more evidence than just someone near the barn. I could leave my house and not know it was on fire. From the previous article: "The barn was filled with hay and straw, and it was not connected to any power, meaning there seemed to be no ignition source for the fire, he explained." There doesn't need to be one; hay will spontaneously combust (due to decomposition) if it is packed incorrectly and the moisture content gets too high.
ChunkyPastaSauce
Sat, Apr 2, 2011 : 2:58 a.m.
Stbuilder Sorry hit submit early That sounds about right. The larger bale is a greater fire risk because of increased insulating and decreased surface area per unit volume. Same thing happens with overly piled hay or bales packed too close. I thought that that round bales would be a greater risk than square because of decreased surface area per unit volume; but the info you posted suggests that maybe not true. I didnt know about the coke thing.
ChunkyPastaSauce
Sat, Apr 2, 2011 : 2:47 a.m.
Stbuilder That sounds about right.
sbbuilder
Sat, Apr 2, 2011 : 12:58 a.m.
CPS Some info from the University of Maryland: Bale density and mass have an effect on heating as well. Potential for heating increases with bale density and size and the surrounding hay mass. The higher the bale density and the larger the bale, the drier the hay needs to be at the time of baling. With small rectangular bales, hay can generally be safely baled at 18-20% moisture. With large round bales or large rectangular bales, hay moisture should generally be no higher than 16-18%. Old barns can combust for many reasons, including a coke bottle sitting on some straw on a hot sunny day.
ChunkyPastaSauce
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 9:46 p.m.
bunny: storing wet hay incorrectly by stacking too much too tightly will still easily catch fire whether it is cold out or not. ssbuilder: risk of fire is high with green hay but you can still have a fire if the hay gets wet. That can happen if you have a leaking roof or ground/floor that bleeds moisture. It can take a long time for the bails to lose enough moisture to burn (but enough left for decomposition). Further, the hay does not need to be baled; baling actually reduces fire risk, as long as they are spaced properly and not overly large, than just piling hay (piled hay has less surface area and larger 'insulating' thickness). Also peak temperature usually occurs in 2-7 days for most hay bales (fires can occur in 'few hours, or a day' though) after wetting and can be a fire risk for up to 60 days depending on conditions. I too wish more historic barns would stay but I think that people setting them on fire is probably a small fraction of the cause of their disappearance and can totally see some teens driving and being like 'hey smoke is coming from that barn lets check it out and then to drive off. Not saying that are not guilty but I think that their presence at the scene doesn't automatically make them guilty.
sbbuilder
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 5:17 p.m.
CPS Spontaneous combustion happens when hay is harvested (baled) before it has a chance to dry out. A fire would occur within hours, or a day or so after storing the bales in a barn. We once baled hay that still had morning dew on it. By afternoon, you couldn't put your hand inside the bale. On another note, Michigan has fewer and fewer historic barns. There used to be a program (not sure if it is still around) that would give you a tax break, etc. to work on restoring your barn. At this rate, it won't be many years before there will be hardly any barns left standing. They sure don't need feckless teenagers getting their thrills to help out the demise of these wonderful structures.
bunnyabbot
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 4:37 p.m.
this is very true, I have been around when it happened. However, it usually happens with sunlight or in the heat of summer. Most farmers have enough sense to know to rotate the hay or what conditions are ripe for spontaneous combustion.
Ellen
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 3:31 p.m.
wow, that was fast! Nice job!
Ignatz
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 3:20 p.m.
Excellent work on the apprehensions! That's assuming the allegations are true.