Pittsburgh-area firefighter charged with arson after 4 weekend fires
ARNOLD, Pa. (KDKA) — Investigators said an arrest has been made in a series of arsons in Westmoreland County over the weekend.
The fires were less than a half-mile away from one another, and officials believed they were suspicious. On Wednesday, state police said Andrew Bischof was arrested and charged with arson, aggravated arson, causing or risking catastrophe, criminal mischief, burglary and criminal trespass.
Bischof was a firefighter with the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department at the time, police said. He is in the Westmoreland County Prison.
Lana Glenn said she just put her daughter to bed on Sunday night when she saw flames shooting from the back of her neighbor's home on Leishman Avenue. Worried her elderly neighbor may be inside, she called 911.
The owner was not home when the fire broke out, but KDKA-TV learned two firefighters were injured battling the blaze.
Several hours before that fire, smoke and flames were spotted Sunday morning at an abandoned property on Leishman Avenue just two blocks away.
"Seven fire trucks out here," said Michele Walter, who lives on the road.
The string of suspicious fires started on Saturday morning at an abandoned building on Fourth Avenue. Walter said she saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the second floor.
"It is scary because a lot of these houses are built close," Walter said. "If one goes up, another is going to go up. Someone is going to get hurt."
Roughly 12 hours earlier, flames were spotted at another abandoned building on Leishman Avenue in New Kensington.
"Several of the structures were vacant, no utilities," Arnold Fire Chief Eric Gartley said. "We did see signs of open doors, thing of that nature, whenever we got there. So we had no other real probable cause."
Police said Bischof left the scene of one of the fires and returned to the scene with the fire department.