Man Jumps To Death From Burning Warehouse
DETROIT (WWJ) - A man is dead after jumping from a burning warehouse on Grand River just west of Motor City Casino.
WWJ Newsradio 950's Sandra McNeil said the abandoned warehouse is located next door to Goodwill Industries, near Martin Luther King Blvd., west of the Lodge freeway. It wasn't immediately clear who owned the building.
Fire Lieutenant Gerod Funderberg said the fire quickly spread, sending thick black smoke out into the street.
Funderberg said six fire engines, three fire trucks, two squads and two fire chiefs were called the scene.
"It started as a small fire. It escalated and became a second-alarm fire and HAZMAT was called out as a precautionary measure because there were drum barrels found on the dock," Funderberg said, adding that there was also a lot of scrap metal inside the building.
Investigators aren't sure what was in the barrels.
Arson investigators told WWJ Newsradio 950's Sandra McNeil that the victim suffered extensive burns, but no details have been released regarding his identity or what he might have been doing in the abandoned building.
A firefighter was hurt in a slip and fall accident.
Investigators said this was not the first fire at that location. The cause is under investigation.
