Cold Weather Gives Firefighters Issues With House Fire Possibly Started By Squatters

DETROIT (WWJ) -- Fire crews in Detroit had trouble putting out an early morning fire due to frozen equipment on Friday, but were able to extinguish the blaze without any extra equipment.

An extra fire engine was brought to the scene on Greenlawn near Pembroke in northwest Detroit, but was ultimately not needed. Captain Alvin Goldsmith -- the acting Chief Aid -- said that the fire may have been started by squatters because the house was vacant.

"[It was] a vacant dwelling, possibly vagrants living in the dwelling," Goldsmith said. "The dwelling was totally involved upon arrival. We were then able to extinguish the fire."

A neighbor said that she's never seen anyone at the house and that the owner of the house moved out when they became sick, but had been working on the house to prepare it to be rented.