Washington fire ruled arson
The Washington fire chief said Monday a state police fire marshal determined the blaze that destroyed an apartment house and damaged two adjacent residences Sunday in the 600 block of Allison Avenue was deliberately set.
Fire Chief Linn Brookman said the fire was set on the front porch of 615 Allison Ave.
“The call came in at 7:04 a.m., and city police were on the scene a minute later,” Brookman said. “We were on the scene at 7:06 a.m.”
Councilman Joe Manning, who Brookman said lives a block away, snapped a photograph of the conflagration when he arrived at the scene within minutes of the report of the fire.
“The fire spread so quickly,” Brookman said. “To have it that fully involved in such a short period of time, it is very fortunate everyone was able to get out.
“And we were concerned with the fire spreading,” he added, saying there is about 10 to 15 feet between houses in that area.
An adjacent residence at 605 Allison had about $35,000 in damage from the fire. A residence at 625 Allison also had heat and smoke damage. Brookman was not sure of the damage estimate to the destroyed building but expected that it would be at least $85,000, not including contents.
Brookman said five people lived in three apartments of the converted house. All were able to escape, and no injuries were reported. The chief said there was an apartment in the basement, one on the first floor and another on the second floor.
Fire crews were on the scene until 2:30 p.m. The rapid intervention teams from the North Strabane and Peters Township fire departments responded. North Strabane firefighters also were pressed into attack mode to prevent any further spread of the fire to other buildings. Also assisting at the scene were firefighters from Canton and South Strabane townships. North Franklin Township firefighters were at the city fire station to cover in the event of other fires or emergencies in the city.
Police Chief Robert Wilson said detectives were waiting for a report from the fire marshal and would be investigating. Anyone with information or who might have seen suspicious activity in the area is asked to call police at 724-223-4226.