Firefighter killed when men burn down building to get insurance money, feds say
Nearly a year ago, a burnt building collapsed on six Pennsylvania firefighters, killing one and seriously injuring others. Now, two men have been accused of intentionally setting the property alight.
The Philadelphia Fire Department was dispatched to the blazing building, which housed a pizza shop and occupied apartment units, around 2 a.m. on June 18, according to court records.
About a half-hour later, firefighters extinguished the blaze and entered the building to perform an inspection, officials said.
The charred structure caved in on top of them, trapping them under rubble, according to a statement from the fire department. Several of the firefighters were rescued and brought to hospitals, and one was later pronounced dead at the scene.
“This is a heartbreaking day for our city,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a June 18 statement on the death of the firefighter, identified as Lieutenant Sean Williamson. “For more than 27 years, he dedicated his life to serving and protecting the people of Philadelphia, and sacrificed his life protecting others.”
Following a monthslong investigation conducted by state and federal officials, two 29-year-old Philadelphia men have been charged in connection to the fire, according to an April 18 news release from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The men, one of whom was the building owner, allegedly set fire to the property to profit from insurance claims related to the incident, officials said.
Records indicate an insurance claim was filed on behalf of the owner two days after the building collapse.
“Even if the government can prove my client set the fire, it was not foreseeable the fire department would send ill-equipped firefighters into a building on the verge of collapse,” Chuck Peruto, an attorney representing the building owner, told McClatchy News.
Surveillance footage collected from the area showed two men disappearing behind a dumpster near the building shortly before the fire, court records show. They appeared to have on clothing similar to what the suspects were later seen wearing, including black sandals.
Approximately three minutes after the men were seen exiting the dumpster area, smoke was spotted near the building.
Other surveillance footage showed the owner and the other suspect walking about a half-mile from the building around the time of the fire, court records show.
But when interviewed by investigators, the owner told them that he had been on his couch at home when he learned about the fire.
The men have been charged with conspiracy to commit malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce and malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce, officials said. The owner was also charged with wire fraud.
If convicted, the owner would face a minimum sentence of 17 years in prison, while the other suspect would face a minimum of seven years in prison, officials said.
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