Firefighter charity to shut down after state investigation

WYANDOTTE (AP) — The office of Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says a Detroit-area charity with a mission of supporting firefighters and fire victims is closing after an investigation found it misled donors.

Schuette’s office says Wyandotte-based Firefighters Support Services has agreed to dissolve within 60 days and its directors will pay $144,000 over three years.

Most will go to the American Red Cross for home fire relief.

Schuette says the charity raised $4.2 million from donors, but about 90 percent of its money went to salaries, fundraising and administrative costs, or other programs.

The attorney general’s investigation found the organization couldn’t identify grants of food, shelter or clothing to families burned out of their homes.