This footage of the September 7 fires in the Moenart Street area of Detroit was taken by Ian and Andrew Perrotta, residents of the east side neighborhood. The two brothers, one of whom was once a firefighter, tried to extinguish the blaze that started in a neighbor’s garage. When they had done all they could, they decided to document the fire.

Anxiety and frustration gripped neighbors as high winds fanned the flames, causing the fire to spread quickly. The fire department and 911 were called numerous times by residents, but residents watched in desperation for more than an hour before the first truck came.

Detroit was hit simultaneously by several raging firestorms that afternoon, which taxed the fire department’s ability to respond, due to massive budget cuts. Winds reaching 50 miles per hour that day caused poorly maintained power lines to go down, at least 750 in total.

Moenart Street residents said that the fire was a result of a power line that went down the day before. (See “East side Detroit residents say fire not a ‘natural disaster’”.)