Published Friday, April 9, 1999 George said he could not confirm whether the 3:40 a.m. fire that gutted the former farm house at 3152 Main Street was arson. He won't know for sure until state Fire Marshal Bob Ryhal, who was waiting this morning for the rain to stop, makes his ruling.
The apartment has been owned by Frank and Wendy Fusco, Hermitage, for the past 15 years. The building was insured.
"People are scared," George said of the handful of fires he said have been set in the area between Erie Street and state Route 18, North and Main Streets in the past five months.
"I'm going to try and get a meeting with council and set up a reward to get the conviction of this individual," he said. "All I can say is that if anybody sees anything, call the police. We are doing everything we can."
Today's fire, the second firefighters were called to and, unofficially, the third one at the apartment building in the past three months, left tenants without homes and only "the clothes on their backs" George said. Only the shell of the building -- which was getting new siding -- is standing, he said. The seven apartments inside were gutted.
Firefighters from West Middlesex, Hermitage, Farrell, and Shenango Township were called to on the scene. Wheatland was on stand-by, George said.
George said he knew of only one person who was treated for smoke inhalation from the blaze, a neighbor, Dan Gilmore. Gilmore was treated at UPMC Horizon, Farrell. An older female resident may have been injured when she jumped off the roof, but George could not confirm the report.
George said it was Gilmore who first shouted a warning.
"He saw the flames and banged on the doors to get people out," said George. "We've got to get people to get smoke detectors; evidently these ones weren't working."
Jodi Bartholomew, 20, her boyfriend John Cogswell, 21, and their two-year-old daughter Katelyn, who lived in an upstairs apartment, jumped for their lives. The family is staying was staying with John's mother, Sherry McPeak, in Hermitage, this morning.
"Our apartment was the worst; I'm sure we've lost everything," Ms. Bartholomew said this morning "We left everything and ran."
According to Ms. Bartholomew, she first heard neighbors screaming to wake her up. Both her kitchen and bathroom had erupted in flames.
Ms. Bartholomew said she closed the bedroom door as Cogswell opened the window so they could climb onto the roof and jump off. Cogswell caught one elderly woman who also jumped onto the ground, Ms. Bartholomew said.
"This is the third fire since December," said Ms. Bartholomew, adding that she believes the blaze was an arson.
Ms. Bartholomew said the first fire damaged two apartments. The second was started in a hallway but put out by Cogswell before there could be any damage, she said.
Ms. Bartholomew said the landlord was going to put a fire escape after an earlier fire but that it hadn't been installed yet.
"I can't believe this is happening," she added.
Building owner Wendy Fusco said smoke detectors were in the apartments, but could have had their batteries taken out. She said she hoped that if the fire is ruled an arson that the fire starter will be caught.
Still, Mrs. Fusco said borough officials should have warned the community long before now of the possibility an arsonist was at work, instead of being "hush-hush."
"That's great that they want to have a reward but they should have done it two fires ago," she said. "What if there had been a death?"
Her husband added that he was not sure if he would replace the building he has been remodeling. The first fire was ruled electrical, he said.
"This is the second time those families have had to make it out alive," he said.
While the Red Cross was working to help the families find temporary shelter, George said West Middlesex firefighters were out at 7 a.m. today near a bus garage on state Route 318. A transformer had been knocked out and the area was without lights.
