Butler man charged with arson in Sunday’s Whitestown Road fire
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A Butler man is charged with arson following the Sunday, April 27, fire at a vacant house on Whitestown Road in Butler Township.
Butler Township police charged Michael W. Pallone, 61, with arson, risking a catastrophe and criminal mischief for reportedly setting fire to the abandoned home.
No injuries were reported in the fire.
The fire was reported shortly after 4:30 p.m. when neighbors said fire and “explosions” were coming from the house, according to Butler County Emergency Services dispatch.
Next-door neighbors Terry and Jill Callen reported hearing the explosions before seeing the house was on fire.
“I was in the basement, and I heard banging,” Terry Callen said. “I ran up to see what all the commotion was. I thought maybe something blew over on the back deck. When I got up, that’s when I saw the house was on fire, and more explosions were going off inside the house. Maybe paint cans exploding, who knows what it was. There was lots of things exploding inside for at least 10-15 minutes.”
The house was engulfed when emergency crews arrived, but crews were able to control the fire within an hour. Crews were on scene for about an hour an a half, according to Butler Township police.
The house was located behind another home on Whitestown Road. According to the Callens, the same family occupied both houses, but recently left.
“They all kind of lived together, but none of them are there anymore,” said Jill Callen. “They moved out probably last year, just after Christmas after a storm knocked a tree on their house and it was not fixable. One of their kids went to school with our kids. There’s been nobody in that house for over a year.”
Fire crews had responded to a fire at the same house in March, according to Mike Schmidt, the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District chief.
“I think two months ago, there was a smaller fire that they put out quickly,” Terry Callen said.
In addition to Butler Township’s fire and police departments, Butler Bureau of Fire, VA Fire & Emergency Services, state police and Butler Ambulance Service all responded to the scene.
Eagle staff writer William Pitts contributed to this report.
