Fires Sweep Through Foreclosed Homes

Flint, Michigan has an epidemic of empty foreclosed homes that are in line to be demolished in October. One home that was unlike the others with this fate had one difference: someone was living in it.

The Washington Post raised this question: “If a fire destroys a home that doesn’t really belong to anyone and is worth next to nothing, does it matter?”

It is estimated that 25% of vacant homes are intentionally set on fire. What is the way to prevent fires in vacant homes according to the NFPA? Prevent the vacancy of the homes by having homeowners in them.

Currently, if a home is foreclosed, it may be occupied by the homeless, drug dealers, or those looking to congregate. It is reported that most of the home fires started in vacant homes are caused by vandals or unsheltered individuals looking to stay warm and fed.

When firefighters began to find people in the so-called vacant homes, they began to wonder what was going on-they thought no one was inside. They then began to anticipate finding dwellers within vacant homes they responded to and began to assess the fires and how they should be fought.