As a House Burned, Firefighters Posed for a New Year's Selfie

Crews may face discipline for 'despicable' celebration
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 2, 2020 5:30 PM CST
As a House Burned, Firefighters Posed for a New Year's Selfie
Detroit firefighters work at a blaze in September.   (Robin Buckson/Detroit News via AP)

Firefighters took a moment from their work on New Year's Eve to pose for a celebratory selfie in front of a Detroit house being consumed by flames. The Facebook post caught the attention of the city's fire commissioner, among others, reports USA Today, which posted the photo. A fire official said the crew was celebrating the retirement of a battalion chief, per the News. "There are a lot of ways to celebrate a retirement," the fire commissioner said. "Taking a photo in front of a building fire is not one of them." The post has since been taken down.

On Facebook, some people commenting just wished the crew a happy new year, while others called the photo unprofessional. That's what the 18 firefighters' supervisors thought, too. "It was despicable," one said. Officials said the vacant house was too dangerous to enter anyway when the photo was taken. Still, saying that "behind every fire is a devastated family or property owner," the fire commissioner said that if the selfie is verified, "discipline will be in order." (More firefighters stories.)

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