Last night, a blaze enveloped a home in Pittsburgh’s Windgap neighborhood, a harrowing scenario wherein three individuals managed to escape from the inferno that reportedly began on their front porch. The incident occurred around 9:16 p.m. at a residence on the 3800 block of Windgap Avenue, according to WPXI. Responding firefighters arrived to find that the occupants had fled to safety via the back of their burning dwelling.
Officials pinpointed the origin of the fire as the front porch, deeming the circumstances suspicious. Timothy Hamilton, 45, was detained shortly after in Kennedy Township. While arresting him, authorities slapped Hamilton with multiple felony arson charges and incarcerated him at the Allegheny County Jail.
Hamilton’s arrest followed unsettling details that emerged surrounding events leading up to the blaze. A criminal complaint, reported by WTAE, stated Hamilton was spotted on the porch before the fire, aggressively attempting to kick in the front door. He had allegedly been trying to coerce a woman inside the home to leave with him, following a day marked by abuse, but she refused.
"The woman told authorities Hamilton had been abusive to her throughout the day and did not want to be around him," WTAE quoted the complainant. In a chilling account, the woman, along with the husband and wife who also resided there, heard a 'loud boom' upon Hamilton ceasing to batter the door, which was immediately followed by a glaring light. It's believed that Hamilton set fire to various items on the porch, including furniture and trash, which led to extensive damage. The partial collapse of the porch roof and property devastation amounted to an estimated $53,200.
