A photo of more than a dozen Detroit firefighters lined up for a group shot in front of a house engulfed in flames has triggered an investigation by the city's fire commissioner.
In a statement to CNN's Detroit affiliate WXYZ, the commissioner, Eric Jones, lashed out at what he indicated was a retirement momento.
"There are a lot of ways to celebrate a retirement; taking a photo in front of a building fire is not one of them," Jones said.
"We will investigate this matter and follow the facts where they lead us. If this photo is verified, discipline will be in order."
The group shot in front of a raging house fire was captioned "Crews take a moment to get a selfie on New Years!" the CNN affiliate reported, and was shared on New Year's Eve with the Detroit Fire Incidents Page on Facebook.
It has since been removed.
"We were asked to post it by a firefighter for the City of Detroit," a statement on the FB page said.
"[T]he only reason it was removed is we received messages by guys on the job stating that they had been threatened for the photo being posted. To clarify 'threatened' meaning threatened by their work I would assume by their context threatened of punitive actions."
According to the affiliate, the Detroit fire department reported the house was vacant, as was the home next to it.
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