HERMITAGE, PA. Judge says owners of plaza aren't responsible for fire

Damage was so severe that an exact cause for the fire was never found.
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- A Mercer County jury has determined that the owners of Hermitage Square Plaza weren't responsible for a fire that destroyed nearly half of that facility five years ago.
No official cause for the fire was determined, but officials suspected it was caused by an electrical problem behind the wall of a bridal shop.
The blaze, which did about $6 million in damage, burned out a number of businesses located there, and three of those former tenants recently filed suit against the plaza owner, Hermitage Development Co.
Patrick Engrao, who had his insurance office there, Dr. Stephen Moses, who had a dental practice there, and Dr. Howard J. Nagle, who had a dental laboratory there, were seeking damages for their losses.
The case never got beyond the liability stage, said Common Pleas Judge Michael Wherry, who heard the case.
The plaintiffs weren't able to prove, to the jury's satisfaction, that Hermitage Development Co. was negligent or responsible for the fire, Wherry said.
The trial lasted a week but the jury took only an hour Tuesday to return its verdict, the judge said.
The jury ruled that the plaza owner had no liability in the fire, Wherry said, noting that evidence presented showed the damage was so severe that authorities were unable to determine an exact cause for the blaze.
With the owner facing no liability, there were no grounds to pursue the damage end of the lawsuit, Wherry said.