Blaze in hotel's stairwell was arson, firefighters say

GREENVILLE, Pa. -- Firefighters said someone started a fire in a stairwell at the Adams Hotel at 106 Main St. but the blaze was extinguished before it could spread.
Someone used matches to set fire to window curtains in the rear stairwell exit on a second-floor landing, said Fire Chief Steve Thompson.
Three packs of burning matches were found on the carpeted floor, he said. The call came in at 9:25 p.m. Wednesday.
Thompson said quick action prevented what could have been a major downtown fire.
The curtains were destroyed and the fire was spreading across the ceiling as it was put out. It was only seconds away from spreading up the stairway into the third floor, he said.
Had it gotten that far, it would have spread quickly and would have threatened the entire commercial block, Thompson said.
The fire door leading from the stairwell into the second floor was closed and prevented the flames from spreading in that direction, he said. Smoke detectors on the third floor alerted tenants in those rooms, he said.
"What I find disturbing is that the fire was lit in an emergency exit stairwell that may have been used by tenants for escape," Thompson said.