CARBONDALE -- State police have ruled that the fire that forced two Carbondale families out of their homes Friday morning was arson.
The fire started in a shed located between the homes on Wayne Street and 8th Avenue.
Carbondale police said they have identified three persons of interest in the case, however they have not reported any arrests.
Police are also looking into whether the same individuals are responsible for another suspected arson nearby.
Noreen Morgan lives on Wayne Street, just a few doors from the scene of Friday's fire. She said back on July 11, a fire started on her deck in a recycling container while her teenage son was home alone during the afternoon. She said that her son grabbed a bucket and started dousing the flames until firefighters arrived.
"Thank goodness he was home and he was able to save the house and our dog. We were lucky," Morgan said.
Morgan said before the fire that damaged her neighbors' homes on Friday, she had trouble accepting she was actually a victim of arson, but now it is all too real.
"You worry where they are going to go next," she said.
Carbondale firefighters encourage residents to watch out for any suspicious activity, and report it to police.
"A lot of people are putting up outdoor security cameras, and that is good evidence after the fact," firefighter Carl Schweinsburg said.
John Perry lives right across 8th Avenue from the scene of Friday's fire. He initially believed that the fire in July was probably set by kids, however after his neighbors homes burned on Friday he now suspects something more sinister.
"Who ever it is, they are deranged, so it could be an older person who is sick in the head. Why else would you do something like that?" asked Perry.
A fund has been set up for the Michalek family who lost their possessions in the fire.
It is at:
Proctor & Gamble Credit Union.
800 Scranton-Carbondale highway
Eynon, Pennsylvania 18403
Checks can be made out to the Michalek Family Fund and mailed or dropped off at the credit union which is located in the Burlington Plaza.