Teenage firefighter who ‘just wanted to respond to a fire’ allegedly set Pa. home ablaze
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
An 18-year-old firefighter with the Pioneer Hose Company is accused of setting fire to a home in Brackenridge, Pa., on Monday afternoon.
Patrick Gillis is charged with arson and other offenses after the fire that destroyed a house on the 800 block of 7th Avenue, according to the criminal complaint.
"I've taught him better than that," said Gillis' mother, Dana. "As a mom, when you do your best to make sure your kids don't make mistakes you make, and then this happens, I question myself. Where did I go wrong?"
According to court paperwork, Patrick Gillis is suspected of setting the fire by putting his mother's lighter and some loose papers into a microwave in the home's kitchen and then turning on the microwave.
Witnesses observed Patrick Gillis at the scene, and the Pioneer Hose chief later said the house was Gillis' former home, according to the complaint.
No injuries were reported.
Police said that upon questioning Gillis, he admitted setting the fire and told investigators he just wanted to respond to a fire.
"When you look at it, and you hear that your own child has done this, it changes the whole outlook on things," Dana Gillis said.
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Seems we actually have a "Teenager" problem.
Not a matches problem, not a microwave problem, not even a gun problem. Just a Flat out "Teenager Thinking Problem"
It was the lighters fault.
I knew it !!!!!!!!!!!
I grew up in this area. I called family that still live there yesterday and there is more to it. Pioneer Hose VFD in Brackenridge and Highland Hose VFD in neighboring Tarentum have looked at the reports from fires in the area and found that there have been many questionable fires since this fuckwad started as a "Junior" Firefighter with Highland.
Now that's interesting.
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