Fire at New House Ruled Arson | News

Homeowners in part of Pike County are being put on alert after another house was set on fire.

Autorities said Thursday it is the fifth case of arson in the Newfoundland area in the past six weeks.

Officials said those five arsons were all at vacant or abandoned buildings, within 15 miles of each other. Most of the fires were in Wayne County. The latest one happened in Pike County.

A house with no roof, melted siding, and charred insides is all that was left of a newly-built house at Lake Wallenpaupack Estates near Newfoundland.

Fire officials said it went up in flames around 9 a.m. Thursday, and they said it is a case of arson.

Neighbors are shocked.

"This is terrible. I mean, next to Wilkes-Barre Scranton floods, this is just terrible," said Albert Perna of Greene Township.

Fire officials said this is not the only recent arson in the Newfoundland area.

Around Labor Day an old sawmill in Sterling Township was set on fire.

An abandoned home and an old trailer nearby also went up in flames.

Another blaze was set in Hamlin.

"We're getting kind of scared right now with an arsonist going around. Everybody keep their eyes open. If you see somebody suspicious contact PSP, contact the communication center and get somebody there. One of these days, somebody's going to get hurt," said Greene Dreher Fire Chief Allen Shiffler.

No one was hurt in the latest fire in Greene Township.

State police said a meeting will be set up with fire chiefs in the area within the next week to see what can be done to address the problem.