15 houses destroyed in Coatesville arson

After watching the 14th arson of 2009 savagely gut a block of rowhomes early this morning, Coatesville officials declared a state of emergency to help protect residents in this small community of about 11,000.

The four-alarm blaze began about 11:30 Saturday night in the rear of a home in the middle of the 300 block of Fleetwood Street. It spread quickly to 15 houses, causing damage of well over $1 million and leaving dozens homeless, said Kristin Geiger, a city spokeswoman. All residents were evacuated safely, she said.

Officials called the fire, which required assistance from 25 departments in Chester, Montgomery and Lancaster Counties, "suspicious in nature and consistent with" the 13 unsolved arsons that have plagued the city since the start of the year, Geiger said.

Sources close to the investigation said the fire was definitely arson.

Last year, Coatesville, which typically experiences one or two arsons a year, recorded 15. In December, three people, all still in custody, were charged with arson - one of which killed an 83-year-old woman.

John Wenger, 40, who lives on the block, said he heard noises and looked out the window to see "smoke billowing out" from rooftops several doors away. He said he grabbed his cellphone, wallet, and laptop and ran outside, joining neighbors in banging on doors.

"These are really good people on this block," he said, adding that many are renters without insurance. "They don't deserve this - they lost everything."

Brandy Hickman, who lived with her two children, mother, and brother on the block, said her mother had just celebrated her final mortgage payment about a month ago.

"Thank goodness she has fire insurance," said Hickman, weeping as she watched officials begin boarding up doors and windows that exposed the charred remains of the homes' interiors.

Hickman said she hoped to stay with a nearby relative so that her children, ages 5 and 9, could go to school today, assuming she could find clothes for them.

Denise Venuti Free, a spokesperson for the southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of the Red Cross, said so far the agency has provided financial assistance for food and clothing and hotel accomodations to 14 families, including 32 adults and 18 children.

She urged "anyone else who has been affected" to call the Red Cross at 215-299-4000.

Many residents of the block returned yesterday to see if any of their belongings were salvageable. Residents estimated that between 50 and 60 people were displaced by the fire, including Robin Scott, a member of Coatesville City Council.

Some of the more fortunate victims waited for insurance adjusters as a steady stream of onlookers walked by, shaking their heads in disbelief at the devastation.

One of them, Chester County District Attorney Joseph W. Carroll, said whoever is responsible for the crimes faces more than a life sentence since the maximum penalty for a single arson conviction is 20 years.

"I think life in prison is an appropriate punishment, given the extent of the property damage and terror to an entire city," he said.

Carroll, who has been critical of city officials' crime-fighting efforts, has been hosting a twice-weekly open house at a residence he is rehabbing on Eighth Avenue and soliciting volunteers for a block watch.

Calvin Grove, a member of Coatesville Men United, a group that has applauded Carroll's initiative, said more community involvement is critical.

"There aren't enough cops; until people get off their tails and get out here, it won't stop," he said, surveying the wreckage.

Because most of the fires have been traced to outside trash cans and furniture, residents have been urged to clear their porches. Geiger said the state of emergency will enable city workers to remove whatever they deem "dangerous" and also allow officials to immediately purchase safety equipment.

City manager Harry Walker said federal, state, county and city officials are working nonstop to solve the crimes, which he called "as brazen as it gets."

Walker said the city, which has been distributing smoke detectors and batteries, will purchase motion-detector lights in bulk and make them available to residents at a reduced rate. He said he would also start recommending that people get dogs.

"We may even pass an ordinance requiring porch lights," he said. "If we have to light up the whole city, we'll do that."

Hickman, who described her block as extraordinarily congenial, said it was hard to understand how deranged someone must be to commit these crimes.

"I just hope they catch them," she said tearfully. "We have babies here; someone could have been hurt or killed."

Residents can report suspicious activity during the late night or early morning hours to a roving police patrol supervisor, who may be contacted directly at 610-636-0514.

Rewards for information leading to a conviction have been posted by the Citizens Crime Commission (offering up to $5,000) at 215-546-TIPS or www.crimecommission.org/; and Crime Stoppers (up to $2,000) at 1-800-4PA-TIPS or www.pacrimestoppers.org/