Man Arrested After Allegedly Setting Fire To Cars, House In Ferndale
FERNDALE (WWJ) - Police say a 26-year-old Hamtramck man was arrested for arson after allegedly setting two cars and a house on fire in Ferndale.
Branden Lee Wilcox was arraigned on Saturday morning of two counts of arson of personal property, a five-year felony charge, and one count of arson of a dwelling, a 20-year felony charge. He is currently being held on a $1 million bond.
Investigators say they were called to a fire on the 1600 Block of University around 2 a.m. Friday.
Ferndale Fire Chief Kevin Sullivan told The Daily Tribune said a Crown Victoria parked in the street in front of the house and a Impala parked in the driveway were in flames when officers arrived. The front porch of the house was also burning.
"The fire from the car in the driveway caught the porch deck on fire," Sullivan told The Daily Tribune. "We caught it just in time. Had the fire gone another 30 seconds to two minutes the fire would have been in the house, which was occupied."
Sullilvan said the fires appeared to have been set in the engine compartments of both vehicles and spread to the passenger compartments.
Investigators believe the fires were the result of a family dispute.
Police say Wilcox was arrested at a house in Hamtramck after the fire was reported.
An investigation is ongoing.
