Those 6,000 volunteer angels really pounded the devil this Halloween.

Fire officials say Detroit is on track to have its second-lowest number of fires on record during the three-day Angels’ Night effort, which began Saturday, October 29 and ends on Halloween.

More than 6,000 volunteers registered for active street patrols over this year’s three-day patrol period, according to the City of Detroit’s Department of Neighborhoods. They have made huge difference and continue to drive down the number of structure fires to a level comparable to any average day in Detroit.  In any given 24-hour period in the city of Detroit, firefighters respond to eight structure fires.

We need to keep it that way.

You can still volunteer to help patrol the streets this evening. Go to the City’s Web site at www.angelsnight.org or call (313) 224-4415 or visit one of the Department of Neighborhoods offices listed below:

District 1 – Crowell Recreation Center – 16630 Lahser Road

District 2 – Northwest Activities Center – 18100 Meyers Road

District 3 – Farwell Recreation Center – 2711 E. Outer Drive

District 4 – Samaritan Center – 5555 Conner

District 5 – Butzel Family Center – 7737 Kercheval

District 6 – Patton Recreation Center – 2301 Woodmere

District 7 – Don Bosco Hall – 19321 W. Chicago

You’ll make a difference.

Volunteers make a huge difference during Angels’ Nights. The number of fires has been sharply reduced.

“Over the course of the first two days of our patrols, what we have seen so far is not much different from our success last year,” says Fire Commissioner Eric Jones. “The efforts of volunteers continues to make a difference and we know they will be out again tonight as children celebrate Halloween.”

Here’s a breakdown of the fires so far.

After the first two nights of the three-day campaign, the Detroit Fire Department responded to 40 fires compared to 28 last year. The three-day total for 2015 was 52 fires, down from 97 the year before and the lowest in the 20 years Angels’ Night patrols have been in effect.

Firefighters responded to 26 total fires between 12:01 a.m., Sunday, October 30 through 12 a.m., Monday, October 31. Of those fires, 20 were structure fires, six of which were deemed suspicious. Firefighters also responded to two garage fires and four trash fires. Causes of the other fires are undetermined and still under investigation.

During the first 24 hours of its three-day Angel’s Night campaign, Detroit firefighters responded to 14 fires, Jones says. That number compared to 17 reported during the first 24 hours of last year’s campaign, which ended up being the quietest of the 20-year history of the Angel’s Night patrol with 52 total fires.

Half of the 14 fires that occurred between 12:01 AM, Saturday, October 29 through 12:00 AM, Sunday, October 30, were at houses (six occupied and one vacant). The other seven were a mix of vehicle fires, trash bin fires and one garage fire.

Back in the 1980s there were hundreds of arsons during the pre-Halloween period, with more than 800 in 1984.  It was indeed Devil’s Night. With few exceptions since then, the number of fires has continued to steadily decrease, thanks to strong community volunteerism and organization:

YEAR                     FIRES

1984                        810

1994                        354

2010                        169

2011                        94

2012                        93

2013                        95

2014                        97

2015                        52

Bless the angels.