Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has said he and his family had to evacuate his official residence after it was set ablaze overnight by a suspected arsonist.
Shapiro said he woke up in the middle of the night to authorities banging on the door of the home as a fire spread.
“Last night at about 2 am, my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg. The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was on the scene and while they worked to put out the fire, we were evacuated from the Residence safely by Pennsylvania State Police and assisted by Capitol Police,” Shapiro wrote on his X account.
Adding;
“Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished. Every day, we stand with law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities. Last night, they did so for our family – and Lori and I are eternally grateful to them for keeping us safe.@PAStatePolice is on the scene leading this investigation and will keep the public updated.”
The governor and state authorities say the fire was the act of an arsonist, though no arrests have been announced. No one was injured, Shapiro added.
The fire happened after Shapiro and his family celebrated the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover at the Harrisburg home in the state capital.
State authorities said while the blaze was extinguished, it caused “a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence”.
The governor and his family were in a different portion of the brick home when the fire was set, police said.
Authorities are offering a $10,000 (Ksh1.2 million) reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case.
You might also like
