WYOMING--- Police said the home of a man who was busted in a drug raid went up in flames Thursday night and rekindled early Friday morning. The damage was so bad officials said the home needed to be demolished.
The state police fire marshal told Newswatch 16 the fire still under investigation and officials need to do more interviews, but they do consider the cause to be undetermined with suspicious circumstances.
Video sent from a viewer to WNEP shows the home on East Seventh Street in Wyoming on fire for a second time in just a couple of hours early Friday morning.
Ron Redmond said he has family in the neighborhood and those who live nearby had a name of their own for the home.
“We did refer to this place as the, 'Drug House'. Everybody knew it as the, 'Drug House,'" Redmond said.
Police said the home was raided a few weeks ago and Luis DeLeon was taken into custody. He was charged with intent to deliver, later making bail.
After his home went up in flames, he was seen confronting officers.
“Over the past several months, we saw a lot of cars pulling in and out for only a couple of minutes and then they were leaving. It was like a revolving door. It was just constant,” Redmond said.
After the fire, the Wyoming Borough manager said the house was condemned and deemed a hazard by zoning and code officials. They said a strong gust of wind could have blown it over and an emergency demolition of the house needed to be done.
“It's just amazing that the whole demolition crew got here within just a couple of hours and now the house is down. So that's a good thing,” Redmond said.
DeLeon and his family are getting assistance from the Red Cross.
Neighbors said they hope the lot can be turned into a green space, but there are no official plans just yet.