"We've been getting quite a few calls - most of them are related to the weather, rather than Devil's Night," said Al Acker, spokesperson for the city's emergency operations center.
People were calling in to report downed trees and power lines, he said.
"I think bad weather is always helpful to the good guys," Acker said. "We had a lot of rain last night and that obviously helps."
There was no rain last night, but by 11 p.m. the temperature had dropped to 39 degrees with wind gusts of 21 mph and a wind-chill factor of 26 degrees, the National Weather Service reported.
City officials said they had no estimates on the number of fires reported.
Police Chief Isaiah McKinnon said he was impressed by the number of volunteers he saw out.
"It says we have a great number of people who are concerned and dedicated to the betterment of the city, and a great number of people are tired of the stigma that has been associated with the city of Detroit," he said.
Mayor Dennis Archer spent part of the night thanking the thousands of volunteers he said were vital in the guarding of abandoned buildings against arson.
"We're trying to bring peace to our city," Archer told about a hundred men who participated in last year's Million Man March and planned to patrol the streets from midnight to 2 a.m.
"I think people are higher and more uplifted even than last year," Archer said. "We're out because we want to protect our investments and continue to motivate people to invest in our city."
Archer, who also spent part of Tuesday night visiting some of the 32,000 volunteers, credited a thunderstorm with keeping the city quiet. He said some 22,000 residents were without power last night and 3,000 street lights were out from the previous night's storm.
The flashing yellow lights atop vehicles were hard to miss - in a 15-block area there was at least one patrol vehicle on each block.
Robert Massey, 41, who lives just north of downtown, was among those patrolling the streets in his car.
"I wanted to just try," he said. "In my younger days, I used to be doing all this crazy stuff. It's time for a change."
The mayor planned to visit volunteer command centers throughout the city until 2 a.m. to thank volunteers and lend support.
Last year, Archer said, 61 fires were reported on Devil's Night - typical for any night in Detroit. In 1994, Archer's first Halloween as mayor, there were 182, the most since 215 Devil's Night blazes in 1986.
During the past decade, Detroit's Halloween Eve arson blitz has drawn worldwide media attention. The number of fires peaked in 1985 at 297 but had decreased annually until 1994's sharp increase.
In early September, city officials launched radio, television and billboard ads discouraging arson. The campaign used bright orange ribbons as its symbol, placing one on the Spirit of Detroit statue outside city offices.
Hundreds of abandoned buildings have been razed. Others bear signs warning the buildings are under watch.
Authorities also got a boost when representatives of six street gangs pledged to help stop arsonists. The Halloween season truce was sealed Tuesday with handshakes and hugs at a local church while police officials and religious leaders looked on.
Volunteers said they were excited about the opportunity to polish the city's image.
"My mother told me don't complain if you don't plan to do anything about it," said Gricelda Childs, 32, who was spending part of the night calling homeowners living next to abandoned building to ask them to watch the dwellings.
"What I'm doing should be needless," she said. "But I have to, because a select few are out there burning things for absolutely no reason. How stupid is that?"
Howard Davis, 35, was preparing to patrol his east side neighborhood after listening to Archer's thanks.
"This is the least I can do," he said. "It takes nothing but a few hours of my time, and who knows, my few hours may save a building - or even a life."
But there were some fires last night.
Margaret Hunter, 44, shook her head as she watched firefighters douse a blaze in a vacant house across the street from hers.
"I kept hoping and hoping they would come and tear it down before tonight. This is exactly what I didn't want to happen," said Hunter, who said she and her husband had been watching the vacant house periodically.
A curfew for city residents 17 and under was in effect from 6 p.m. yesterday until 6 a.m. today.
Officials said they had no estimates on the number of curfew arrests made, but at one neighborhood city hall there were 15 curfew violators.
Archer said if things remained quiet, it would be a strong indication that Devil's Night may be on its way out.
"If we have a good number this year, I will say we are well on our way," he said. "I don't ever think we can let our guard down."