Propane heater fire at abandoned Detroit school kills one, injures another

One dead, one hurt after propane fire at abandoned school

At first, Detroit police reported it appeared to be the result of copper or electrical theft and that the couple involved was electrocuted. But after further investigation, it was determined to have been caused by a propane heater fire.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A freak accident at an abandoned school in Detroit had investigators initially thinking it was an electrocution, but it turned out to be a fire.

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At first, Detroit police reported it appeared to be the result of copper or electrical theft and that the couple involved was electrocuted. But after further investigation, it was determined to have been caused by a propane heater fire.

FOX 2 watched as Detroit police removed that heater from inside a tent where it appeared squatters were staying. The building used to be an elementary school off the Lodge near MLK., near downtown Detroit. It is now unoccupied. Investigators say a propane heater caught fire this afternoon, causing the woman’s death.

The man she was with was taken to the hospital. He is stable and being treated for burns. Police also cleared the building and found what appeared to be another squatter. He was taken away in handcuffs.

It’s unclear whether he is connected to the incident.

"The community is not at risk," said Detroit Police Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes. "There are no others at this time that we have identified that have been injured or impacted. There is no interruption to the utility services in the vicinity of this incident."

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The original 911 call came in as an explosion, which triggered a federal response out of caution. That chaos likely led to some of the confusion early on about what happened.