Michigan Woman Says Fire Response Wasn’t Swift

A suburban Detroit, Mich., woman who returned home to find a basement fire says she was told by authorities that no firefighters were immediately available because they were responding to a separate house fire.

The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reports Catherine Ritter of Eastpointe found her home filled with smoke Sunday morning.

She says she called 911 and no one arrived immediately.

Ritter says she then drove to the police station about a half a mile away. She was told to return home and firefighters from neighboring St. Clair Shores responded.

Fire Marshal Ed Szymanski, who is investigating both fires, says there may have been a “discrepancy in the dispatch center.”

No injuries were reported at Ritter’s home. A woman was injured in the other fire.