Independence Township Fire Department and Oakland County Sheriffs office are offering a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of an arsonist.
Firefighters received a call at 3 a.m. on Sun, Nov. 23, for a fire in the 5300 block of Parview Drive.
“The homeowners were not at home at the time of the fire,” said Greg Olrich, Independence Township fire marshal.
The case is currently under a joint investigation with Independence Township Fire Department and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
‘At this point it’s an intentionally set fire. We’re not willing to let out much in detail just because that’s part of the investigation, but anything that anybody might have seen around that date or prior to the fire would be really important to us,? said Olrich. ‘Arson is a serious crime. Some people would like to think it’s a victimless crime, but it’s not. It affects not only the homeowners, but the neighbors, the neighborhood and also puts every firefighter at risk.?
Olrich noted one firefighter had a minor injury and was treated.
Detective Art Schrah with Oakland County Sheriff’s Office agreed.
‘Arson costs everybody money,? he said. ‘Probably the biggest thing with fire safety is the smoke alarms. Make sure you have working smoke alarms in your house especially this time of year when you have Christmas trees and everything else. Kids, candles, power outages, you better be real careful. This is definitely an arson fire and it’s an ongoing investigation.?
If you have any information regarding this fire, contact Greg Olrich 248-625-1924 or golrich@independencefire.us, or Art Schrah at 248-858-5454.