NEW CASTLE Suspicious blaze destroys building

A witness saw four or five people running from the building, police said.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Employees at a New Castle heating and cooling company say they will keep working today despite losing most of their supplies and building.
"We will be open. We might be slow, but we will be operational," said Lee Martell, a salesman for Baron Heating and Cooling.
The Baron building, 418 E. Washington St., was destroyed by fire just after 6 p.m. Thursday. Officials say the blaze is suspicious.
Witness: Authorities say a witness alerted them to the blaze around 6 p.m. when he noticed smoke coming from the building.
The 22-year-old Columbiana man was walking on East Washington Street when he heard a noise in a wooded area behind the Baron building and saw four or five people running, police said.
The man chased after the people and saw smoke when he got behind the building, police said.
Fire Chief James Donston said they believe the flames started on the second floor and moved quickly to the third floor. Donston said there were no walls on either floor, just studs, because it was being remodeled. The business is on the first floor.
"It was just through the roof when we got there. We had to call in a construction company to come in and start knocking it down to put it out because we couldn't get inside," the fire chief said.
Firefighters from neighboring Neshannock and Shenango townships were called, as well as New Castle's full roster of firefighters, he said.
Donston estimates there was about $300,000 damage to the building and its contents.
Salvage: Martel said he and owners Larry and Debbie Baron were called shortly after the blaze broke out and ran into the first floor and salvaged some equipment and files before firefighters made them leave.
They tried to get back in the building after the fire was out, but firefighters said it was unsafe, he said.
Martel said they hope to get in sometime today to see if they can salvage any of the heavy steel machinery used to make sheet metal for the heating and cooling business. He said it is unlikely those machines were damaged by the flames.
Martel said no one was working when the blaze started and Larry Baron was the last one to leave around 5:30 p.m. that night. Baron and his wife were not available for comment this morning.
Martel said there are six people employed at the business and they will temporarily work out of a building owned by Mayor Timothy Fulkerson on West Washington Street.
House fire: Donston said firefighters had the Baron building blaze under control when they were called to a house fire at 325 Park Ave. in the city's North Hill section around 11 p.m. That blaze is also considered suspicious, he said.
Donston said they believe the fire started in the kitchen area of the vacant home which is owned by Francis Wise.
The Pennsylvania State Police fire marshal is investigating both fires.