Detroit is burning. This fascinating documentary takes us to the heart of the once-roaring industrial mecca to meet the men and women charged with saving a city many have written off as dead. With vast stretches of forsaken buildings left as kindling, the highest arson rate in the country, and a budget crisis of epic proportions, the city turns to new Fire Commissioner Donald Austin to shake up the system with hard-line decisions and drastic, often controversial measures. Cautiously regarded by the DFD as a bombastic outsider, the Detroit native sets out to demonstrate his commitment to helping his hometown rise from the ashes.
From executive producer Denis Leary, Burn spends a year within the heat, introducing us to members of a close-knit brotherhood and a community within a shattered city that is unwilling to give up. A 30-year veteran on the eve of retirement and a charismatic young fireman devastatingly injured on the job are just a few of the characters you’ll meet at the most overworked and underequipped firehouse in the country. –Cara Cusumano
