Letter to Editor: Praise for Royal Oak Firefighters

The following letter was sent to Royal Oak Patch by Bob Wonnacott, a Royal Oak resident:

The Royal Oak Fire Department, as well as the Royal Oak Police Department, deserve congratulations on how they handled the recent house fire on Woodslee on Sunday.

Even though it was reported that the house was a total loss, it was not because of their lack of trying to save it. The Fire Department even went beyond what anyone would expect (coming from a former Clawson firefighter). They actually began putting water on the structure while live high-tension wires were still sparking on the house and surrounding grounds.

It took Detroit Edison approximately 1-1/2 hours to respond to Royal Oak’s call for assistance. Everyone I spoke with was outraged with the lack of response from Detroit Edison. Fox News mentioned they were digging into this issue (as it was the probable cause for the structure to be a total loss).

Our firefighters were there within 2 minutes of receiving the call, but couldn’t do much until Detroit Edison showed up. I think the Royal Oak Fire Department and the Royal Oak Police Department should get a public round of applause for their efforts in this very frustrating situation. 

Bob Wonnacott

A Neighbor on Woodslee