An arrest for arson has been made in connection with one of two suspicious fires in Centralia Friday morning.
41-year-old Edwin Steinkamp of Sanders Street in Wamac was arrested a few blocks away from the second suspicious fire of the morning that gutted a home at 1124 South Hickory and melted the siding on an adjoining home due to the intense heat. Fire officials say Steinkamp became a suspect when he was reportedly seen in the area of the house. When stopped by police, Centralia Fire Officials say he was in possession of a small torch in his pocket and smelled of smoke.
Steinkamp was taken to the Marion County Jail to await a decision on formal charges.
Smoke pours from a home on South Hickory Street in Centralia that apparently was set on fire Friday morning. Photo by Tim Ferguson.
Centralia Fire Chief Jeff Days says the home was fully engulfed in flames upon their arrival around 8:19 Friday morning. Day says the home had been damaged in an earlier fire and was in the process of being added to the city’s demolition list.
Firefighters work on putting out a fire on South Hickory Street Friday morning. Photo by Tim Ferguson.
The blaze was hot enough that it also melted all the siding on the south side of the neighboring home on North Hickory. That home is owned by Jason McKorkle of Centralia and occupied by Brooke Benton.
The other suspicious fire occurred just after midnight at 910 East 15th Street. It was also fully engulfed with flames shooting out the windows. Firemen report a quick knockdown and say they prevented the fire from going through the roof. The rental home is owned by Sandy Nealy of Centralia. While it was vacant, there were still some furnishings inside.
Firemen fight an early Friday morning fire on East 15th Street in Centralia. Photo by Tim Ferguson.
The home had been on fire before. On January 7th, fire officials say someone threw a bottle filled with gas at the outside of the home. It only caught the outside siding on fire. Fire officials believe that the incident was a result of a dispute between the renter at the time and the alleged suspect.
All available Centralia Firemen were called to both fires. The Centralia Fire Protection District and Sandoval Fire Department provided mutual aid on the South Hickory Street fire. There were no injuries in either fire. Firemen were on the scene for about two hours on each of the fires.
A home on East 15th that was damaged by a suspicious fire is posted Keep Out. Photo by Tim Ferguson.
