NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 717.255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
7 October 2003

3 LEFT HOMELESS & 2 FIREFIGHTERS INJURED AFTER EARLY MORNING ARSON FIRE IN 1400 BLOCK OF MAYFLOWER ST.

Harrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced that an early morning 3-alarm fire that destroyed four homes in the 1400 block of Mayflower Street was caused by arson. Three persons have been left homeless and two city firefighters sustained minor injuries as a result of the extensive Allison Hill blaze.

Mayor Reed said state and county fire investigators have determined that the fire was purposefully set on the first floor of 1405 Mayflower Street, and quickly spread to adjoining occupied properties at 1403 and 1401 Mayflower Street, as well as a vacant property at 1407 Mayflower. First reported at 3:10 a.m., arriving fire units found heavy fire and smoke conditions at 1405 Mayflower with the blaze quickly spreading to adjoining structures, prompting it to be elevated to a rare 3rd alarm. More than fourteen area fire companies responded to the scene or were placed on standby as all city fire units were engaged in fighting the fire.

Reed said there were some tense moments in the early minutes of the blaze as city firefighters went inside the burning structures to locate occupants who were believed to have been inside, but were later found to have already evacuated. Firefighters operated in near blindness from the heavy smoke conditions and the rapid spread of the blaze quickly threatened to overwhelm and trap them inside.

All were ordered out of the structures and tensions were high as a lengthy radioed roll call, made more difficult by the noise at the scene, confirmed each firefighters’ safety.

The Mayor said three persons, one at 1403 and two at 1401, have been left homeless by the blaze and all are being assisted by the Red Cross or family and friends. Damage was extensive to all four structures, and all will have to be demolished. 1405 Mayflower, where the blaze is believed to have begun, was vacant and showed no real signs of occupancy. It is owned by a Virginia-based mortgage company that foreclosed on the property in 1999. The property was condemned by the city in 2002, and has had multiple codes violations issued with no response. The adjoining vacant property, at 1407 Mayflower, is owned by Roger Kumler of Marysville and was condemned by the city in 1998. Kumler has been cited more than a dozen times for conditions at the property. Both of the occupied properties at 1401 and 1403 Mayflower Street have no history of codes violations.

The Mayor said he signed emergency demolition orders for all the damaged properties this afternoon, and city crews will begin work at the site by the end of this week or early next week. The city will seek insurance or owner reimbursements for the costs of doing the work.

“The person or persons responsible for this heinous act have no place on our streets and we will pursue them with all of the commitment and resources available to us,” said Mayor Reed. “To purposefully set such a fire, knowing full well that it could easily kill innocent people, is a crime that warrants the full penalty of law. And that is exactly what we will seek when we catch them.”

The Mayor added that one city firefighter sustained a minor shoulder injury fighting the blaze, for which he was transported to the hospital for treatment and released, and another firefighter later sought treatment for a minor wrist injury. “How ironic,” Reed added, “that on the very day we celebrate and commemorate Fire Safety Month, the many dangers that firefighters can face become so immediately apparent. We applaud their quick and heroic actions and remain inspired by their courage.”

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