State prison term handed down in meth lab fire
A Winfield Township man was sentenced Tuesday to 1½ years in prison after pleading guilty to causing a house fire in February while cooking up methamphetamine and violating his parole on two previous cases.
William E. Burke, 38, was sentenced to 15-30 months in state prison, followed by 30 months probation by President Judge Thomas Doerr, after previously pleading guilty to felony criminal trespass and operating a methamphetamine lab.
He was also sentenced to 6 to 12 months on a parole violation, making the total sentence 1½ to 3½ years in state prison.
Burke was also ordered to pay restitution, and while no dollar amount was associated, prosecutors said the amount is expected to be in “six figures.”
His attorney, Armand Cingolani III, said his client took responsibility for his actions, and explained that Burke was also badly burned in the fire.
“Even though the victims lost their house, it is being rebuilt,” he said. “This was a tragedy for everyone concerned.”
Burke was initially charged after an incident at 129 Germaine Road, Butler Township, on Feb. 3.
He was charged alongside Brittney R. Rudolph, 34, of Saxonburg, who currently awaits further court proceedings.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office and Butler Township Police said the two broke into the house overnight and used a one-pot method to make the drugs. Shortly after, the building caught fire.
Heavy flames ripped through the basement of the home and into the first floor, the rear of the structure and into the attached garage, which led to a roof collapse.
Several people, including the homeowner and her adult son, were in the house when the blaze began. All were able to get out, with four people being taken to the hospital, including Burke, who was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment of burns.
Police said Burke later admitted that the fire started while he was cooking up the drugs. He told police that the fire started after he moved to a lit candle to get a better look at the concoction, police said.
He also admitted that the pair entered the home without telling the homeowner or her son, police said.
