$10,000 IN REWARDS OFFERED FOR INFORMATION ON NORTHERN INDIANA COUNTY FIRES

State Police yesterday announced that a combined $10,000 in reward money has been offered for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person or persons responsible for eight suspicious fires in northern Indiana County going as far back as last August.

The federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Tobacco has posted a reward of $8,000 and PA Crime Stoppers has offered $2,000.

In an ATF release, the eight suspicious fires being investigated are, in chronological order:

• A farmhouse and garage along Alabran Road in North Mahoning Township (Smicksburg) on August 9^th last year;
• A barn along Wolf Road in South Mahoning Township on December 15^th;
• A barn along Route 954 in Creekside on December 21^st;
• A garage/shed along Bailey Road in Washington Township on December 29^th;
• A storage building at the intersection of Whitaker and Rudolph roads in North Mahoning Township on December 29^th;
• An Amish furniture store along Stephenson Road in North Mahoning Township on January 25^th;
• The Harmony Grove Lutheran Church along Route 954 in Washington Township on February 26^th;
• A brush fire at Getty and Pollock roads in East Mahoning Township on March 20^th;
• A barn fire along Barnard Road in West Mahoning Township (Dayton) on March 28^th.

The release notes that the Amish furniture store, the Harmony Grove church, and the barn fire along Barnard Road are all ruled to have been incendiary, meaning an accelerant was used.  And all but the church fire and the Amish furniture store were at buildings or properties that were either unoccupied or abandoned.

The investigation is being conducted jointly by the ATF field office out of Pittsburgh (Philadelphia Field Division) and the State Police Fire Marshall.

Anyone with information on the fires or on individuals who may have been involved is urged to contact the ATF 24/7 hotline at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (1-888-283-8477), or the Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-4-PA-TIPS.  Tips may also be submitted at ATFTips@atf.gov, or at www.pacrimestoppers.org.    You may also use the Reportit® app or at www.reportit.com using the Philadelphia Field Division as the location.