Fire Ruled as "Incendiary" on Residence in Indiana, PA

PHILADELPHIA — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Philadelphia Field Division announced today a conclusion to the origin and cause investigation into the residential fire that occurred on February 1, 2018, at 71 Shady Drive in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

On February 1, 2018 at approximately 12:30 a.m., firefighters from the Indiana Fire Department responded to a report of a residential fire at 71 Shady Drive in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Upon their arrival, fire crews encountered a fully involved fire at the main residence as well as a second fully involved fire at a structure on the property separate from the main residence.

Approximately a month after the fire, an ATF Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) out of the Pittsburgh Field Office met with the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Trooper/Deputy Fire Marshal at 71 Shady Drive in regards to the fire investigation. The ATF CFI subsequently assisted the PSP Fire Marshal and Indiana, PA Fire Department with the fire investigation, to include the origin and cause determination of the fire.

The ATF CFI ultimately concluded in his Report of Origin and Cause Determination, based on the information obtained through the fire scene examination, collection of information and evidence from the scene as well as witness statements, revealed that two separate structures on the property burned during the overall fire incident. After a complete analysis of all the data collected, ATF determined the fire to be incendiary in nature.

This investigation is ongoing.

ATF is the federal agency with jurisdiction for investigating fires and crimes of arson. Anyone with any information about this crime should contact the ATF Pittsburgh Field Office at (412) 395-0600 or ATF-FIRE (1-888-283-3473). Tips can also be submitted anonymously using the Reportit® app, or by visiting www.reportit.com (link is external), using the Philadelphia Field Division as the location.