Etna man charged with arson: ‘I needed more gasoline,’ witness reports
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A 74-year-old man is accused of dousing his apartment in gasoline and igniting a fire which started a three-alarm fire and subsequent explosion Tuesday afternoon in Etna.
Elmer Lewis, of Vilsack Street, faces two counts of aggravated arson, six counts of arson, one count of causing catastrophe and five counts of criminal mischief.
He is being held at the Allegheny County Jail. District Judge Nina M. Ricciardi denied bail Tuesday, citing Lewis as a “threat to victim, witnesses and community,” court documents said.
At 11:42 a.m. Tuesday, fire companies were dispatched to 86 Vilsack St., which is a multifamily, three-story duplex, for reports of a structure fire.
Lewis leased 86 Vilsack St., as well as a garage at 84 Vilsack St., a criminal complaint said. Raymond Ventura, of Shaler, owns both properties, according to Allegheny County real estate records.
Three men, Raymond King Sr., Raymond King Jr. and Daniel King, rented the apartment next door. King Jr. was home with his uncle, Daniel, at the time of the fire, the complaint said.
Neighbors recorded flames and heavy smoke coming from the front first- and second-floor windows of 86 Vilsack St., police said. The fire spread to 84 Vilsack St., and more than 20 companies from across the North Hills and Southern Allegheny Valley responded to extinguish the blaze.
While firefighters were putting out the flames, the garage of 84 Vilsack St. exploded, sending the garage door off its hinges and striking a fire truck, damaging its windshield. The garage door came close to injuring an Etna police officer and two firefighters, the complaint said.
Raymond King Jr. suffered a burn injury to his right arm when he helped to evacuate Lewis from his apartment, which was locked, the complaint said. A Millvale firefighter was taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion.
Estimated damages of the properties exceed $100,000, the complaint said, and the structure at 86 Vilsack St. partially collapsed.
A Beaver Falls police dog trained in accelerant detection worked the scene and detected accelerant in two areas on the first floor of 86 Vilsack St. near the stairwell and two areas on top of a vehicle inside the garage at 84 Vilsack St. Those areas are suspected for “ignitable liquids,” the complaint said, and samples were collected by the Allegheny County fire marshal for lab analysis.
Raymond King Jr. told police that at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday he noticed a “strong odor of gasoline” that seemed to be spreading, the complaint said. He and his uncle went to their back porch and then heard an explosion. They went to the front of their residence and saw the building on fire, the complaint said.
Daniel King had called Ventura to report the gasoline smell, the complaint said. During an interview with detectives, Ventura reported that he told Daniel King to call 911. While on the phone with King, Ventura heard the explosion and disconnected the call to head to the scene, the complaint said.
Raymond King Jr. saw Lewis standing inside the burning house and kicked down the door, the complaint said. Lewis left the building without saying anything to King Jr., took his dog from his car outside the building and walked up the street, the complaint said. A witness reported seeing Lewis inside the house crying after the explosion, according to the complaint.
Another witness told detectives she saw Lewis sitting across the street. The witness asked Lewis if he needed a coffee and, according to the complaint, he replied: “I needed more gasoline.”
Other comments made by Lewis to the witness included: “No, I did this” and “I set my own house on fire,” the complaint said.
The witness then walked away and told detectives that while she was outside, she heard the garage door explode. She said she has known Lewis for about 10 years and that he works on cars in the garage.
A third witness told detectives he was cutting his grass when he saw Lewis enter the garage at 84 Vilsack St. about 11:30 a.m. Shortly after, Lewis went back into 86 Vilsack St., the witness said, and the fire and explosion occurred about five to 10 minutes later.
When questioned by police, Lewis originally denied setting the fire, saying the property owner had started it. Lewis later confessed to setting the fire by pouring gasoline throughout the apartment and lighting an area in the second-floor bedroom, the complaint said. He also admitted to setting up the garage to burn by pouring gasoline inside it.
Throughout the interview, Lewis admitted to setting the fire multiple times, the complaint said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled June 20 before District Judge Daniel J. Konieczka Jr.