Wednesday, July 22, 2009
NEW CASTLE, Pa. — A fire on the city’s west side Monday night is still under investigation by a state police fire marshal, Fire Chief Tom Maciarello said.
The blaze, at 113 Patterson Ave., has not been ruled an arson.
The house was vacant, and the owner, who lives on Knox Avenue, was away on vacation when the fire started at 11:25 p.m, Maciarello said.
It burned through the floor in the back of the house and into a crawl space. Firefighters were able to put it out, and the house was not destroyed.
The blaze was not in the Courtside neighborhood on the city’s east side, which has had almost 40 arsons at vacant houses in the last 18 months.