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Two Philadelphia Men Convicted In Arson That Killed Firefighter Lt. Sean Williamson Two Philadelphia Men Convicted In Arson That Killed Firefighter Lt. Sean Williamson
Two Philadelphia Men Convicted In Arson That Killed Firefighter Lt. Sean Williamson Two Philadelphia men have been convicted for their roles in a 2022 arson fire that killed Lt. Sean Williamson, a 27-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department, federal prosecutors announced on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. Al-Ashraf Khalil, 31, and Isaam Jaghama, 31, were found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to commit malicious damage by fire and malicious damage by fire of a building used in interstate commerce, according to U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. Khalil was also convicted of wire fraud and using fire in furtherance of wire fraud. The fire, set in the early hours of J…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Cellphone Charger Causes Central PA House Fire Displacing 6 People, 5 Pets (PHOTOS) Cellphone Charger Causes Central PA House Fire Displacing 6 People, 5 Pets (PHOTOS)
Cellphone Charger Causes Central PA House Fire Displacing 6 People, 5 Pets (Photos) A cellphone charge burst into flames South Central Pennsylvania home on Wednesday, Oct. 30, officials explained.  The duplex fire broke out in the 200 block of East Canal Street in the village of Sand Beach at 5:09 a.m., according to Union Deposit Volunteer Fire Company 47. A cellphone charger plugged into an overused power strip exploded, sparking the blaze that quickly spread through that home, officials explained.  "All residents got out safely," according to the release.  Four adults, two children, two dogs, and three cats were displaced but tha…

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by Jillian Pikora
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ARSON: Retired Care Manager At LanCo Dept. Of Aging Set Bathtub On Fire ARSON: Retired Care Manager At LanCo Dept. Of Aging Set Bathtub On Fire
Arson: Retired Care Manager At LanCo Dept. Of Aging Set Bathtub On Fire While still in the hospital recovering from burns, a 70-year-old woman has been charged with arson and cruelty to animals, the Ephrata Police announced on Friday, Oct. 18.  Leslie G. Truitt, the 100 block of East Chestnut of Ephrata, is accused of "placing belongings of a former resident in her bathtub and setting them on fire," the police stated in the release.  Her teenage neighbor and his stepdad rescued her and her dogs when the fire alarms went off at 5:05 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 9, as Daily Voice reported at the time.  The boy suffered second-degree burns and was also ta…

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by Jillian Pikora
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MedEvaced Teen Charged In Serious Crash: Pennsylvania State Police MedEvaced Teen Charged In Serious Crash: Pennsylvania State Police
MedEvaced Teen Charged In Serious Crash: Pennsylvania State Police A 19-year-old man has been airlifted to the hospital and charged in the crash that sent him there, Pennsylvania State Police in Chambersburg announced on Thursday. Lazarus Anders Burleson of Mont Alto was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Trail Blazer north on Black Gap Road when he attempted to turn left onto Scotland Main Street, PSP troopers explained. That's when he entered the southbound lane of Black Gap Road and was struck by a 2021 Peterbilt 567 dump truck driven by 66-year-old Bradley R. Leedy of Chambersburg. The crash happened in the 4500 block of Scotland Main Street at 5:47 a.m. on June…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Grandma Killed In Mobile Home Fire ID'd: York County Coroner (UPDATE) Grandma Killed In Mobile Home Fire ID'd: York County Coroner (UPDATE)
Grandma Killed In Mobile Home Fire ID'd: York County Coroner (Update) The woman killed in Tuesday's second fatal fire has been identified by the York County Coroner's Office.  Jo C. Zartmen, 71, was found dead in her home on March 12, according to the Northern York County Regional Police Department and the York County Coroner's Office.  The call to the fire within Thomasville Commons Mobile Home Park at 26 Chesapeake Estates at 7:58 a.m., as detailed by the York County Department of Emergency Services and the NYCRPD. Officers arrived to find the home locked "but could smell smoke" so they "forced entry" and found the woman who had already…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Family ID'd After Triple Fatal Fire In York City, Coroner Family ID'd After Triple Fatal Fire In York City, Coroner
Family ID'd After Triple Fatal Fire In York City, Coroner The family killed in a duplex fire in York City on Wednesday morning have been identified by the York County Coroner's office that evening.  The trio trapped on the third floor was 24-year-old Victor Gonzalez, his 25-year-old wife Giavanna Ricobene, and his 17-year-old sister Gabriella Cruz, according to Gay.  Deputy Coroner Michele Kirchner was called to the scene to investigate and certify the deaths at 7:39 a.m. "the exact number unknown initially," Gay noted. All three victims were pronounced dead at 8:18 a.m. on Feb. 7. The fire had broken out in duplexes of 47 an…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Resident Cautiously Jumps From Burning Allentown Row Home: Officials Resident Cautiously Jumps From Burning Allentown Row Home: Officials
Resident Cautiously Jumps From Burning Allentown Row Home: Officials A large fire that began in an Allentown row home and spread to two other buildings prompted one resident to cautiously jump out of a second-floor window, authorities said. Crews were called to the three-alarm blaze on the 1500 block of Liberty Street around 9:45 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, Allentown Fire Capt. John Christopher said. A resident tried to escape the flames by jumping from the second-floor window to the first-floor roof, then to the ground, Christopher said. That person suffered minor injuries and was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest for treatment, he added. A mut…

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by Nicole Acosta
News
Molotov Cocktail Thrown Into PA Boarding Home With 10 People Inside: Report Molotov Cocktail Thrown Into PA Boarding Home With 10 People Inside: Report
Molotov Cocktail Thrown Into PA Boarding Home With 10 People Inside: Report A Molotov cocktail was thrown into a boarding house with 10 people inside on Thursday early morning, WGAL News 8 reports citing fire chief Brian Enterline. The Molotov cocktail broke through a window of the home at the corner of 19th and Chestnut streets in Harrisburg on Mar. 3 around 4:20 a.m., the outlet reports citing the chief. "Had it not been for that sprinkler system extinguishing the fire, we probably, without a doubt, would have had a much, much different outcome," the chief told the outlet. No injuries were reported and the incident is under investigation. Click here to watch W…

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by Jillian Pikora
News
Two Injured In Walmart Toy Aisle Fire In Central PA: Fire Chief Two Injured In Walmart Toy Aisle Fire In Central PA: Fire Chief
Two Injured In Walmart Toy Aisle Fire In Central PA: Fire Chief When Barbie burned at Walmart in central Pennsylvania on Wednesday– two very real people were hurt– prompting the fire chief to issue a press release on fire safety. The Carlisle fire department was called to the fire at the Walmart located on 60 Noble Road in Carlisle around 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 16, authorities said at the time. One person was treated at the scene and released by EMS, but the other was taken to Carlisle hospital— although their current status is unknown, the Carlisle fire chief Randy O'Donnell says both victim injuries were minor. Fire in the toy aisle at a Walmart in …

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Hackensack Woman Burned On Face, Chest After Cigarette Ignites Oxygen Tube Hackensack Woman Burned On Face, Chest After Cigarette Ignites Oxygen Tube
Hackensack Woman Burned On Face, Chest After Cigarette Ignites Oxygen Tube A Hackensack smoker on home oxygen suffered burns on her chest and face after her cigarette ignited an apartment fire, authorities said. The 50-something victim was alert when she was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center following Wednesday's mishap at the Quail Heights Apartments on Prospect Avenue, city Fire Capt. Justin Derevyanik said. A man who doused the fire sustained minor burns but declined medical attention, Derevyanik said. Fire officials were investigating, the captain said. Oxygen therapy ordinarily is prescribed to people with certain cardiac or respiratory conditi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
8 Kids, 4 Adults Dead In 'Devastating' Philadelphia Fire 8 Kids, 4 Adults Dead In 'Devastating' Philadelphia Fire
8 Kids, 4 Adults Dead In 'Devastating' Philadelphia Fire Eight children and four adults were confirmed dead in a fire that swept through a Philadelphia rowhouse early Wednesday morning, city officials said. Had the smoke alarms in the N. 23 Street building been working properly, though, things might have turned out differently, Mayor Jim Kenney's office said in a news release.  “This is, without a doubt, one of the most tragic days in our city’s history,” said Kenney, the son of a firefighter, at a news conference Wednesday. “Losing so many kids is just devastating.” Fire companies arrived at 6:40 a.m. and found heavy fire coming …

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Man Dies Trying To Light Fire Pit, Police Say NJ Man Dies Trying To Light Fire Pit, Police Say
NJ Man Dies Trying To Light Fire Pit, Police Say A 56-year-old Union County man died while trying to light a fire pit but instead sparked an explosion that may have killed him, local police said. Officers arriving at the home on Warwick Road in Hillside found the man with burns covering nearly 75 percent of his body just before 4 p.m. Monday, Hillside Police Det. Natalie Ogonowski said. The man likely added an unknown accelerant to light the fire pit, causing an explosion, Ogonowki said.

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by Cecilia Levine