Detroit’s ‘angels’ guard the Motor City from the ‘Devil’s’ fire on Halloween

Detroit houses destroyed by arson (Photo by Sean Marshall/Flickr)

Photo by Sean Marshall/Flickr

Detroit residents begin patrols of the city’s neighborhoods Tuesday to prevent arson. The volunteer effort, known as “Angels’ Night” has helped reduce the number of intentional fires set at the end of October, especially in vacant buildings.

The Detroit Free Press reports that in addition voluntary neighborhood watches, the city will enforce an emergency curfew for minors and no one will be able to buy fuel in portable containers. The emergency ordinances will be in effect Tuesday through Thursday this week.

The program was created to counteract what has become known as “Devil’s Night” which began in 1984, when there were more than 800 fires the day before Halloween. According to the Detroit Free Press report, 93 fires were reported last year.

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