Arson alleged in Elizabeth fire
By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com
An Elizabeth man is being held at the Allegheny County Jail on charges of arson following a fire Tuesday morning in Elizabeth.
The Elizabeth Borough Police Department called in the Allegheny County Fire Marshal Investigation Team shortly after arriving on the scene and conducting the initial investigation.
The Allegheny County Police took Kenneth Edward Barcus, 30, of Elizabeth into custody on charges of arson-reckless burning, with a preliminary hearing set for Jan. 29 before Magisterial District Judge Beth Mills.
Barcus told police that he started a fire inside the vacant house after he walked there from his mother’s home Tuesday morning, according to the criminal complaint.
“Once inside, Barcus was cold and he had trouble using his cellular telephone because his fingers were freezing. Barcus thought that setting a small fire in the kitchen sink would warm him enough,” police said in the complaint. “Once he started the fire, it grew out of control. Barcus told me that he began to place non-combustible items on top of the fire in order to extinguish it. The fire only grew and Barcus was forced to evacuate the structure.”
To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Wednesday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.
