The fire that gutted a house located at 210 S. 41st St. on Jan. 27 was deliberately set, Philadelphia Fire Department Executive Chief Daniel Williams said yesterday.
Based on evidence from the scene of the fire and information yielded from interviews with residents, the Office of the Fire Marshal determined the cause of the fire to be incendiary - meaning the blaze was intentionally ignited and will be handled as a case of arson going forward - Williams said.
Arson is defined as a "fire that has been intentionally set with malicious intent," according to Williams.
The house burned down on the early morning of Jan. 27, forcing its eight occupants - all Penn students - to evacuate. They have since found new housing.
Williams did not elaborate on the specific evidence that led to the determination that arson was committed, but he said fire officials had "ruled out all accidental causes."
There were no problems with the gas, electricity or other utilities in the building that could have started the blaze, Williams said.
He added that there is currently no evidence that points to a specific perpetrator.
After the cause of a fire is established as incendiary, the case is handed over to the police for further investigation, Williams said.
"Once it is determined to be an intentionally set fire, it is still an open investigation," he added.
The case is being handled by the Philadelphia Police Department. Penn Police are not involved in the investigation, Division of Public Safety officials said.
Police officials are currently interviewing neighborhood residents in order to see who may have been responsible for setting the fire, Lt. John Walker of the Philadelphia Police said.
Until the interviews are completed and police officials finish their review of the fire marshal's report, it is difficult to say how long the investigation will last, Walker said.
He added that conclusions are often hard to find in arson cases.
"Arsons are a difficult crime to solve because there are rarely any witnesses," he said.
In a separate incident last March, a fire gutted a house at 4042 Sansom St., sending six Penn students and one Bryn Mawr College student to the hospital. That fire was also declared an arson.
Police stopped actively investigating that incident in April. No new evidence has turned up regarding the fire since the case was declared inactive, Walker said.
The students affected by the recent fire continue to receive support from the University, officials from the office of the Vice Provost for University Life said.
Sharon Smith, director of student-intervention services for VPUL, said the students have been receiving ongoing assistance from Counseling and Psychological Services and academic support from the undergraduate schools.
She added that she believes the University's effort to provide assistance has been a successful process.
"I think if something wasn't going okay, they would let me know," she said. "I think things are progressing well for them."
The students affected by the fire did not return calls for comment.
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