Suspicious fires in Indiana County under investigation
The Cherryhill Township Volunteer Fire Company has responded to four fires in the last 10 months, and each of them has been deemed suspicious.
"All of them have been ruled arson," Cherryhill Township Fire Chief Jody Rainey said.
The fires left a trail of destruction, and all the properties are within one mile of each other. But that is not all they have in common.
"All abandoned buildings," one volunteer firefighter said.
An aerial view shows the charred remnants of a building on the campus of the Eastern Orthodox Foundation — what's left after two fires. The first fire was last October, while the second was on July 18.
"We are on the lookout for somebody that's an arsonist," the volunteer firefighter said.
On Sunday morning, the department said the arsonists struck again, this time at Pike's Peak Nursery. And hours later, after midnight on Harmony Street, fierce flames shot out of another vacant property nearby.
"Puts a lot of pressure on not only our fire company but our mutual aid fire companies," Rainey said. "We're there to protect property, but we're going to risk something, but we don't want to risk it over someone who's out there violating the law."
Officials are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Disconnected smoke alarm discovered in home basement where fire killed 6
The Maryland Fire Marshal released a bit more information on its investigation into a deadly house fire that claimed the lives of six people. Among the victims are the wife and three children of the surviving homeowner. The other two victims are believed to be the wife and child of a second resident who escaped. READ MORE:
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Memorial grows for Streamwood, Illinois father and adult son who died in fire
A community in Chicago's northwest suburbs showed its love Wednesday for a family devastated by a deadly house fire. Streamwood fire officials said Dale Wians, 74, and his son, Brandon Wians, 29, were pulled from their house in the 1200 block of North Green Meadows Boulevard after it caught fire early Tuesday morning. Firefighters from multiple departments battled heavy smoke and used ladders to gain access to the two-story house. Streamwood Fire Chief Mike Meyer said the fire started in the basement. After putting out the flames, firefighters located Dale and Brandon Wians and the third person. All were taken to area hospitals, where Dale and Brandon Wians both later died, and the third person was reported in critical condition. A memorial was set up for the father and son on Wednesday. One neighbor decided to bring buckets of water to make sure the flowers brought for the memorial survive. "We saw the flowers. I'm a flower person. We love flowers and we didn't want to see them all wilting by the end of the day," said neighbor Angel Perez. "So we figured we do some watering and put them in buckets to let them survive for a little bit. We just look out for each other." Several other neighbors also stopped by to pay their respects and drop off more flowers.
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
One year later, questions remain about Highland Detention at Shuman
Highland Detention at Shuman, previously known as the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, reopened last summer with the promise of taking serious juvenile offenders off the street. But after a partial opening, with 12 beds for juvenile offenders, construction stopped while Allegheny County says it's developing a new vision for the center. However, the delays are increasing costs and rankling police, prosecutors and judges. More than a year ago, Highland Detention at Shuman reopened with the promise of getting the more serious offenders off the street. But since opening in July of last year with 12 detention beds, the renovation of four additional pods and another 48 beds has been on hold. District Judge Jim Motznik says those beds are needed now to detain juveniles, especially those accused of gun crimes. "When there's a weapon involved, that person is a danger to the community, no matter what age. And when they're 17 and younger, they need to get into a facility," Motznik said. After the state revoked its license in 2021, Shuman closed for three years before reopening last year under a $72 million, five-year contract with the non-profit company Adelphoi to run it under a new name. Under the agreement, the county and state are responsible for the renovations. But after completing the first pod, sources say the county has been reassessing the design to ensure the detainees receive proper counseling and therapy. In a statement, the county says it has "moved expeditiously and engaged a number of stakeholders to plan the next stages of construction and a new vision for what Allegheny County's juvenile detention center could and should be. The plan was never to rush to reopen a sub-standard facility that repeated all the mistakes and failures of the past." But while construction is delayed, the costs are going up. Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor said the original construction estimate has risen from $30 million to $57 million. And sources say representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services met on Wednesday with the county to prod it along. But the police and judge have grown impatient. They say every bed is needed to take serious juvenile offenders off the street for their own protection and the protection of the community.
