MAJOR OVERNIGHT FIRE DISPLACES MULTIPLE RESIDENTS; HARRISBURG POLICE SEPARATELY WARN CITY CHURCHES OF RECENT BURGLARIES
Harrisburg, PA – Mayor Stephen R. Reed this morning said that a major overnight fire displaced multiple residents and caused extensive damage to two homes.
Reed said members of the Fire Bureau were dispatched to the 300 block of Woodbine Street at 2:09 a.m. for a reported structure fire. While en route, responding units were told that the call had been upgraded to a structure fire with entrapment. The first units arrived at 342 Woodbine Street within minutes to find heavy fire conditions on the first and second floors of the two-story duplex.
A search and rescue team first entered the occupancy and quickly rescued four building occupants from the rear of the building. Units then began fighting the heavy fire. The fire was quickly upgraded to a first alarm fire and additional units were called out for assistance.
Reed said the fire was considered to be controlled at 2:40 a.m. Both 340 and 342 Woodbine Street received extreme fire damage to the first and second floors. Fire also extended to 344 and 346 Woodbine Streets, but damage was less severe in those residences. There is not yet an estimate on the total damage from the fire. Reed said smoke detectors were present in the structure and likely saved the lives of the building’s occupants.
Once the fire was extinguished by fire crews, City, Dauphin County and PA State Police fire marshals arrived to investigate the potential cause of the fire. Upon investigation, it was determined that the fire was electrical in nature, having started due to a faulty electrical power strip on the front porch of 342 Woodbine Street.
Reed also separately indicated that two city churches were burglarized overnight. He urged all local churches to be vigilant and to ensure that their doors and windows are properly secured when the buildings are not in use.
Reed said officers responded to a church on the 1200 block of N. 17th Street around 1:15 a.m. for a reported burglary. An investigation determined that the burglar made his or her way through an unlocked door in the back of the church. Police believe the burglar was looking for money as no other items were reported stolen at the time of the investigation.
Reed said officers also responded to a burglary alarm at 1:44 a.m. at a church in the 200 block of South Street. A nearby officer on foot patrol heard glass breaking in the church as the alarm was being called in to dispatchers. A perimeter was set up around the church. A search of the inside of the building yielded negative results, but there was evidence that a burglary had taken place. Again, nothing appears to have been stolen and it is believed the burglars were looking for cash.
The Mayor also said a similar burglary took place on August 22, 2008, at a church on the first block of S. 13th Street. He said the church was broken into on that date but that nothing was reported stolen.
Reed said it is very possible that each of the burglaries is related. He said detectives are actively investigating each of the burglaries, but that no suspects have yet been identified. Anyone with information on any of the burglaries is asked to confidentially call Harrisburg Police at (717) 255-3131.
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