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Frozen Hoses Impede Firefighters On Detroit's West Side

DETROIT (WWJ) - Firefighters in Detroit battled single digit temperatures and frozen hoses as they fought a suspicious fire on the city's west side.

The fire broke out early Thursday morning at a home on Northlawn Street near Schoolcraft Road, just north Davison Avenue.

Fire Chief Ed Parker told WWJ's Mike Campbell it was so cold, the water was freezing inside the hoses.

"When they freeze, we do our best. Sometimes, we have to throw them on the trucks and take them back to the engine houses to thaw them out," he said.

It took firefighters a few hours, but the flames were eventually extinguished. No injuries were reported.

Other circumstances surrounding the fire remain unclear, although Parker does not believe it was an accident.

The home appears to be vacant, and vacant houses don't catch themselves on fire," he said. "It's suspected arson."

An investigation is ongoing.

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