Officials: Construction crane fire being investigated as arson
Officials believe a construction crane in Ypsilanti Township that was destroyed by a fire Wednesday night was the work of an arsonist.
The crane was helping to rebuild the Ford Boulevard Bridge.
Flames were reaching 20 feet in the air when firefighters arrived at 9:13 p.m., said Ypsilanti Township fire Lt. Keith Harr.
The crane's engine compartment was fully involved. The crane was located on Ford Boulevard right where the new bridge is being connected with the old road, Harr said.
The crane is believed to be valued at about $1 million. Rebuilding the bridge is a Washtenaw County Road Commission project and the crane belonged to a contractor hired to do the work, Harr said.
The damage to the crane was "significant," he added.
A man was arrested in the area after firefighters extinguished the fire. "They believe he was connected with the arson," Harr said.
Details about the arrest were not immediately available. Police could not be reached Thursday evening.
Harr said the incident remains under investigation.
View Ford Boulevard bridge detour in a larger map
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Amy Biolchini
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 2:03 p.m.
The crane that was destroyed by the fire was one of two on the work site for the Ford Boulevard bridge replacement project, according to a conversation I had with the Washtenaw County Road Commission. Because one of the cranes is now unusable, work on the bridge has been halted until the contractor can find a new crane to rent. The two cranes were being used to prepare the new bridge deck for concrete. The work site isn't fenced, the Road Commission said.
Tru2Blu76
Fri, Aug 16, 2013 : 11:39 a.m.
Pyromania or Crane Envy?