Arson suspect arrested
City police charged Victor J. Weltner, 24, of Butler with arson and burglary in connection with a house fire on Broad Street Saturday morning.
The home at 305 Broad St. was severely damaged by the fire, and another home suffered some exterior damage.
Fire crews responded to reports of a house fire around 6:45 a.m., according to Butler Bureau of Fire Capt. Kevin McAfee. Flames were coming out of multiple windows upon arrival, and the fire took about an hour to get under control.
No one was injured in the fire. The home was not occupied apart from Weltner, officials said, who fled at the blaze's onset.
A witness told police he saw a man coming from the rear of the burning home.
Police found Weltner smelling of smoke and with a fresh cut on his forearm, according to a news release. Police accuse Weltner of breaking into the house and setting fire to kitchen curtains before fleeing.
Weltner was intoxicated and entered the residence by breaking the window of a rear door, according to police, who believe he spent some time inside before starting the fire.
The neighboring property at 307 Broad St. was occupied and suffered some damage, according to McAfee, but fire crews stopped the flames before major damage could spread to the second home.The home at 305 Broad St. is owned by Adam Henning, according to Butler County GIS records. A neighbor at the scene told fire crews that Henning is not living in the home, but has been around fixing up the property.Firefighters used both compressed air foam and water to fight the flames.McAfee said the crew might have struggled to contain the blaze if they hadn't been sporting a full staff.“The fifth guy from the SAFER grant made a big difference in terms of getting it knocked down and taken care of,” McAfee said.The VA Butler Healthcare Fire Department and Butler Township Volunteer Fire District also responded.Weltner is in the Butler County Prison.
