By Liz Navratil, Madasyn Czebiniak and Torsten Ove
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
HOMESTEAD, Pa. — Just two days before he admitted to starting a six-alarm fire that on Friday gutted and damaged buildings, displaced tenants, and sent two people to the hospital in Homestead’s main commercial district, Edward McDonald told neighbors that he was depressed, hearing voices and worried about the end of the world, according to a criminal complaint.
On Friday, Mr. McDonald told agents he started the blaze in his apartment above Concept Uniforms on East Eighth Avenue about 4:30 a.m.
Mr. McDonald, 27, has been charged with more than 10 counts of arson and risking a catastrophe, according to court records. Arraigned late Friday night, Mr. McDonald was in the Allegheny County Jail, unable to post the $100,000 bail, with a court appearance scheduled for Feb. 4.
Mr. McDonald told agents that early Friday morning or late Thursday night he found a bag containing lighter fluid and paperwork in the alley beside his apartment in the 200 block of East Eighth Avenue.
He said he took the bag into his apartment and squirted the fluid on his couch. He said the next thing he remembered was a “lake of fire” in his apartment.
Mr. McDonald told agents that he is schizophrenic and had not taken his medication in awhile.
During his interview he referred to the ignition of the fire as “what I’ve done.”
Mr. McDonald’s neighbors told police they were aware of his problems.
He was “worried about the end of the world and the Anti-Christ,” one witness said. Another said Mr. McDonald once said, “These voices are so loud I’m going to kill myself.”
On Wednesday, Mr. McDonald advised one witness to keep their door open so that he could check on them. Another told police Mr. McDonald came at them with a tire iron after a disagreement about regulating heat and turning off electricity a few weeks ago.
More than 20 fire companies responded to the blaze in the 200 block of East Eighth Avenue, which they said apparently started in an apartment above Concept Uniforms, a clothing store, at about 4:30 a.m. Friday morning.
Firefighters used a ladder truck to rescue a man and woman who live in an apartment. A third person escaped, as did six others in another building two doors down above a beauty salon.
County fire marshal and agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which routinely works with Allegheny County on major fire investigations, are investigating the cause of the fire..
Allegheny County police handcuffed one person and took him for questioning, Mayor Betty Esper said. Investigators had already interviewed other residents at a nearby church, she said.
She said she was not sure why officers took that man into custody.
Alvin Henderson, chief of county emergency services, said that the 200 block of East Eighth Avenue will remain closed all day and through rush hour while firefighters and investigators comb through the debris. He said investigators were interviewing the tenants at a nearby church as well as the first responders to find out where the blaze began and how.
Borough officials estimated the value of the commercial buildings at a half-million dollars and the replacement cost at $1 million.
“It’s extreme damage,” Mr. Henderson said. “There were five buildings affected. Probably three are total losses.”
One of them was a new business, EasyTaxRefund, owned by Brian Van Dusen, a constable who said he planned to have a grand opening Saturday. He said he was working late on tax documents in another office when he saw footage of the fire on TV, and then the sign for his business.
Walt Viola of Wilkins, the owner of the building, stood nearby watching firefighters pour water on the smoldering debris. He said he bought the property two years ago for about $90,000 and had been rehabbing it for the tax business.
“I put a lot of work into it,” he said.
His insurance will cover the loss. The damaged buildings will have to be torn down, he said, but razing them could also pave the way for more redevelopment in a town that has seen something of a resurgence in recent years.
Lloyd Cunningham, council president, said the plan is to bulldoze the fronts of the buildings as soon as possible to keep debris out of the street.
He said the owners will have to decide what to do then, but “it’s an opportunity for someone” to redevelop that part of Eighth Avenue.
Mr. Henderson said state officials will also provide assistance to the local businesses while community groups will provide aide to the displaced tenants.
Ms. Esper said she was still in bed when the chief called her about 5 a.m. to tell her about the fire. She was at the scene five minutes later.
“It’s like losing a family member,” she said.
One local resident, a jitney driver who would only give her name as Sharon, watched firefighters work from a nearby convenience store and said she knew most of the people who lived in the apartments. She saw the blaze when she was arriving to open her jitney stand early this morning.
“It’s so sad to see that those people lost all their stuff,” she said. “My one friend told me the only thing she saved was the underwear she had on.”
Hours later firefighters remained at the scene, using cranes to douse hot spots.
Ms. Esper said some residents reported feeling a vibration around the time the fire began.
About 700 homes and businesses in Homestead were without power, which was shut down as a safety precaution, said Duquesne Light spokeswoman Jessica Rock. Mr. Henderson said at 10:30 a.m. that the power had been restored.
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