Prosecutors announced criminal charges against a former Detroit firefighter in connection with a monthlong string of arsons and robberies around Detroit’s west side.
Eric Dwayne Anderson, a 52-year-old former Detroit firefighter, was charged after police say he burglarized and set fire to multiple Detroit homes and stole from a firehouse while firefighters were responding to an emergency call. Authorities say the spree spanned multiple days between July 10, 2026 and Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.
Anderson, who had resigned from the Detroit Fire Department in June 2023, was arrested Friday, Aug. 7, according to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy.
Worthy said no one was injured as a result of the incidents.
"The allegations in this case are deeply disturbing,
particularly because they involve a former member of the Detroit Fire Department and an alleged theft from a firehouse while our firefighters were out answering a call for help," said Detroit Fire Commissioner Charles Sims in a statement. “Anyone who deliberately sets fires, steals from a firehouse, or otherwise jeopardizes the safety of Detroiters will be held accountable, regardless of who they are or whether they have ever worn a Detroit Fire Department uniform."
Prosecutors allege Anderson began his spree before 7 a.m. July 10 on the 8500 block of Bryden Street, where they say Anderson broke into a home and stole a refrigerator, a stove and two pit bull puppies. Authorities say he returned to the house around 7:13 a.m., where the prosecutor says he set the house on fire and fled the scene.
On July 15, Anderson set fire to a garage around 6:32 a.m. on the 8500 block of Central Street, and fled to the 8300 block off Bryden Street, where at around 6:37 a.m. he set fire to a commercial dumpster sitting in front of a house, prosecutors say.
Anderson then set a home ablaze on the 8350 block of Bryden St. on July 29, prosecutors say. When firefighters responded, Anderson allegedly entered a Detroit firehouse and stole multiple personal items belonging to the firefighters.
Prosecutors say the final string of arsons occurred on Tuesday, Aug. 4, the 8500 block of Roselawn, where they say Anderson set a house on fire and fled the scene.
In total, Anderson is charged with two counts of second-degree arson, one count of third-degree arson, one count of fifth-degree arson, one count of second-degree home invasion, one count of breaking and entering a building with intent, four counts of larceny in a building, and four counts of stealing or retaining a financial transaction device without consent.
"The alleged criminal actions of this former firefighter are horrifying. We will do everything in our power under the law to hold him fully accountable," Worthy said in a statement.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Detroit firefighter set multiple fires and robbed firehouse, prosecutors say
