Vigils by Officials, Volunteers Squelch ‘Devil’s Night’ Fires

The blaze of porch lights, headlights and emergency flashers has dimmed the work of arsonists who in recent years torched hundreds of buildings on the night before Halloween in Camden, N.J., and Detroit.

But although the number of fires reported in the two cities Friday night was about the same as for any other night, officials cautioned Saturday that neither Halloween nor the weekend was over.

“It’s almost a normal weekend so far,” Senior Fire Battalion Chief Jerry Smith said Saturday in Detroit. “Let’s hope it stays that way.”

The fiery Halloween Eve tradition--often called Devil’s Night or Mischief Night--resulted in Camden’s worst arson spree last Oct. 31. A total of 133 fires were set in the city of 87,000 across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.

In Detroit, the Devil’s Night fires began about 10 years ago, peaking in 1984 when 297 blazes were set. Last year, rain and tens of thousands of volunteers cut the number to 62.

This year, Camden and Detroit added police and firefighters; city vehicles prowled side streets, and thousands of volunteers again drove through neighborhoods and watched abandoned houses.