Probe continues in fire hall blazes
ISABELLA – Although Sunday’s fire at the Isabella Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall has not officially been ruled arson, Luzerne Township police Lt. Roy Mehalik is calling it suspicious and is calling for additional help with the investigation. “I did talk to an ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) agent. They have a lot more resources than we do. We’re only a part-time department,” Mehalik said. “It’s hard to devote yourself to one investigation for an entire shift when you have to take care of the rest of the township as well.”
Mehalik said there was no power to the social hall following last Wednesday’s fire and the earlier fire, which was ruled arson, was completely out, so Sunday’s fire couldn’t be a rekindle. The social hall area was marked off with yellow police tape Sunday, with Mehalik reminding people that it was a crime scene and shouldn’t be touched.
The fire department’s first truck, a 1937 model used for show, had been in the basement of the building. Since nothing was permitted to be removed from the building, the truck was destroyed Sunday evening when the fire flared up again.
Mehalik said it’s going to take a lot of community cooperation to solve the case.
“We definitely need to get people involved and to provide some information,” Mehalik said. “In the Grindstone area we had 17 (arsons) that went on for years until we got one guy willing to talk to us. It’s hard to catch them in the act, since you never know when they’re going to strike. We need someone who knows what is going on to call us in the strictest confidence.”
Mehalik said there have been numerous arsons, suspicious fires and fires so severe the cause was never determined in Isabella over the years.
“We’ve had arsons outside of Isabella in East Riverside. We had Young’s barn burn and a short while later the house burned. Kendall’s farm on Heisterburg Road burned in the past few weeks,” Mehalik said.
State Police Fire Marshal William Large said he is assisting Mehalik in his investigation of the Isabella Fire Department Social Hall fire. Contrary to rumors, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is the only federal agency involved in the investigation.
“At this time the FBI is not involved in the investigation,” said Wells Morrison, the special agent in charge of the Charleroi office of the FBI.
The social hall, which had been heavily damaged by smoke and water in last Wednesday’s arson, burned to the ground Sunday. The fire burned for more than 14 hours, with as many as 16 fire departments on the scene at the peak of the blaze.