Bomb Squad Removes Arsenal From Highland Park Home
HIGHLAND PARK (WWJ) - A fire investigation at a home in Highland Park led to an unusual discovery and a call to the Michigan State Police bomb squad.
Crews were called to battle a fire early Thursday morning at a vacant house on Louise Street, near McNichols Road and Woodward Avenue.
Once the flames were extinguished and authorities could go inside, they found at least 40 firearms, ranging from long guns to handguns.
Neighbor Wesley Gilbert told WWJ's Mike Campbell the man who lived in the home died a few weeks ago and the house has been boarded up since. He also said this isn't the first time police have come across the arsenal.
"When he died, the policeman had to go in there and take the guns out. They took the long guns out and had to come back, took some more guns out, then they come back again and took some more guns out," he said. "So, I guess they thought that they took all of them out but evidently they didn't."
Gilbert thinks his neighbor's military background fueled his passion for firearms, adding that he never really bothered anyone.
"That man, he loved his weapons. He was in the Marines," he said.
Officials say no one was injured in the fire, which remains under investigation. Some speculate that the fire could have been caused by squatters, but Gilbert thinks it's because the lights were left on, burning since the homeowner died in September.
