September 17, 2010, Meadville, Pa. — A Meadville man was arrested for burning a home at 751 Terrace Street in Meadville today. Police say he was arrested when he returned to watch the home burn.
Marcus Stout, 26, was charged with arson, risking a catastrophe and criminal mischief. He is jailed on $100,000 bond. Police say Mr. Stout had a domestic dispute with the woman who lived in the apartment. Nearby gas station representatives told police Mr. Stout had tried to buy a small amount of gasoline shortly before the fire but was refused because he didn’t have an appropriate container. He bought lighter fluid instead.
The woman who lived in the apartment and her infant daughter were not home at the time and were later found safe elsewhere.
My brother is an Erie firefighter and I have represented people in cases in which someone was injured or lost a loved one in a house fire. The risks of such fires are terrible. The people inside are at terrible risk. The fire itself is unpredictable and spreads to other structures easily. Even when no one is injured, as in this case, the cost in cherished possessions, family photos and disruption of life is significant.
When a house fire is caused by a defective product (one such fire in which I represented a homeowner was caused by a defective TV) or when a landlord fails to provide adequate warning devices or exits, the injured and the survivors of those killed are entitled to be compensated for their harm.
Pennsylvania fire loss cases are complicated and require an injury lawyer with the knowledge to access fire investigation experts and respond to the inevitable defense experts hired by the defendant’s insurance company. If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one in a Pennsylvania fire, the fire injury and wrongful death lawyers at Purchase, George & Murphey, P.C. can help. Call for your free consultation today at 814-273-2010.