Fire sparks arson inquiry

Leslie Combs

A pair of unrelated campus fires caused little property damage early Saturday morning, University authorities reported.

Public Safety officials suspect that an arsonist set fire at approximately 3 a.m. to the interior of a student’s unoccupied car parked on West Campus.

The situation was quickly reported to Public Safety, who immediately alerted the Radnor police and fire departments.

According to Jeffery Horton, director of Public Safety, the fire was “put out fairly quickly,” resulting in minimal damage.

Public Safety is assisting both the police and fire marshall in investigating the incident, which has been classified as arson.

Because the case remains open, Horton was unable to comment on the status of the investigation or if there are any suspects in question, but he alluded to having some information that could lead to a future arrest.

“Hopefully we can identify the person who did this,” Horton said. “We can’t disclose more until we have concrete evidence.”

In a seemingly unrelated incident, another fire occurred Saturday in Sheehan Hall, where a student reported a trash can fire in the first floor hallway around 5 a.m. After sounding the fire alarm, Public Safety officers on duty were able to extinguish the fire outside in the snow.

Horton said that the barrel fire was small and could have been ignited through a tossed cigarette. No evidence points to arson.

The Radnor Fire Department was not notified of the incident and there is no further investigation into the matter.