MSU Football Victory Sparked Over 50 Nuisance Fires, Strained Emergency Services

The East Lansing Fire Department responded to 54 nuisance fires last weekend as Michigan State University football pulled off an upset victory in Ann Arbor over University of Michigan, local public safety leaders said during a news conference Friday.

Ingham County’s 911 Central Dispatch saw a significant backlog as the East Lansing Fire Department, or ELFD, responded to 88 calls over a 24-hour window on the Saturday game day, ELFD Chief John Newman said during the news conference.

“When fire crews and dispatchers are overwhelmed by dozens of preventable, intentionally set fires, every resident within our county is placed at risk if they experience a life-threatening emergency,” Newman said.

The East Lansing Police Department has been collecting digital evidence, including social media photos and videos to identify the individuals involved with the decades-long tradition in East Lansing of MSU students setting couches on fire after athletic events, Newman said. Though no one has been charged in relation to the fires on Saturday yet, once detectives identify the parties involved, they will be held legally accountable and ELPD is asking for the public’s help in finding more images and videos from the fires.

There’s likely going to be criminal charges coming out of the events of last weekend, Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth said during the news conference. As an MSU alum, he said there’s a lot to be proud of at MSU, but the couch fires are not a source of pride for the area.

“I spent 20 plus years working for the East Lansing Police Department before being elected sheriff, and I’ve responded to hundreds … of these in my career, these nuisance fires associated with a win, a loss, or for some other reason, they’re not fun. They’re not funny. Frankly, they’re idiotic, and they’re super dangerous. They’re criminal offenses and should be treated as such,” Wriggelsworth said.

A culture change is needed when it comes to MSU’s traditions, Wriggelsworth added, and MSU students who are found to be responsible for game-day fires should face disciplinary actions from the school.

East Lansing public safety leaders are in conversations with the university in an effort to curb the fires, Newman said. East Lansing residents, which include students, are encouraged to report to law enforcement if they see individuals preparing to burn items.