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Detroit Fire Department issues charges after burning house photo
Departmental but not criminal charges have been issued.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - An official with the Detroit Fire Department said 13 firefighters are facing department charges for a photo that surfaced on New Year's Day that featured them posing in front of a burning house in Detroit.
The Detroit Fire Department official was not authorized to go on the record about the 13 firefighters but told FOX 2 they are charged with exhibiting ignorance of the rules or orders. Additionally, 4 sergeants who were involved have also been charged with failure to supervise or take the appropriate action.
Detroit Fire Commissioner Eric Jones released a statement saying that the appropriate discipline would be doled out.
"Our investigation has been completed and appropriate discipline has been issued to some of the members of the department involved in this incident, however, we do not comment on the details of personnel matters," his statement read.
A photo of a group of Detroit firefighters in front of a raging house fire went viral in early January.
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The picture was posted on social media on New Year's Eve and featured the firefighters posing in front of a burning home on South Green Street in Detroit with a caption that says, "Crews take a moment to take a selfie on New Years!"
At the time of the fire, firefighters had been ordered into a defensive posture, Jones said, after finding the home unoccupied and once the structure was deemed unsafe. But Jones also questioned the wisdom of taking the photo, which as he wrote, "brought great embarrassment to our department and our great city."
Even though the Facebook page is not an official Detroit Fire Department page, a city spokesperson says the post is a violation of the city's social media policy.
The firefighters said they had been celebrating the retirement of a Batallion Chief.