Cars Torched Behind Pennsylvania Frat House

No one was hurt.

Dec. 4, 2008

2 min read

INDIANA, Pa. --

Some students at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania awoke on Wednesday morning to the sounds of sirens and the screams of firefighters telling them to get out of their beds.

Eight vehicles were set on fire behind a fraternity house on the IUP campus early Wednesday morning, borough police said.

"They started banging the doors, saying 'Get out of the house it's going to blow up.' We run outside and look around back and the cars were on fire," said Ben Saxton.

Saxton lost a car to the arson, but he said he's just happy he and his frat brothers escaped uninjured.

The fires happened near the Sigma Chi house on South Seventh Street and emergency officials said the flames were so intense it's amazing the building didn't burn as well.

"It could have easily been a structure fire. When several cars are burning it could have easily Spread. That was one of our first concerns," said Indiana Police Department chief William Sutton.

State police arson investigators said someone used a liquid accelerant to start the fire in the trunk of 8 cars.

Members of a neighboring fraternity told Channel 4 Action News' Jennifer Miele they believe the arsons could be retaliation by IUP students who were kicked out of a pre-Thanksgiving Day party at Sigma Chi.

Police aren't ruling out retaliation but officers said they don't believe that was the motive.

IUP's president, Dr. Tony Atwater, is condemning the arsons and is asking anyone with information to come forward.