Battling Detroit's Arson Epidemic

Over at TheAtlantic.com's Video channel, Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg chats with the filmmakers behind Burn, a forthcoming documentary that follows a Detroit fire department company for a full year as they do battle with one of the worst arson rates in the country.

Co-directors Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez are still in the editing room on the film, but based on some of the early footage (see below for selected scenes and a teaser trailer), it looks like they've got a powerful story on their hands. Here's how Putnam describes their initial approach:

Our journey as filmmakers, and one of the central questions of the film, is why, in a city with 80,000 abandoned structures, would someone put their lives on the line to save one? What kind of people care about this city, a place many outsiders have written off, enough to put their lives on the line every day to save it?

Footage from Burn shot on an HD helmet cam:

Teaser trailer:

Sanchez and Putnam are also still working on securing the last of their funding. To support the film, visit their Kickstarter page.