The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA

News

July 30, 2012

Cardboard burner accused of arson

DANVILLE — A woman charged with arson after burning cardboard in the basement of her apartment building told police “it’s only cardboard.”

Christine Renee Ahlum, 24, of Apt. 2 at 16 Bloom St., told Danville Police Chief Eric Gill it was only cardboard twice after he told her two times she needed to evacuate the four-apartment building Friday. Gill asked her where the fire was and she replied it was in the basement. He asked her why cardboard was burning in the basement and she said, “I didn’t think it would smoke that much. I opened the windows,” according to the charges.

Police then ran back down the steps searching for the basement entrance. Unable to locate it, they returned to the second floor where her apartment was. Ahlum showed them where the entrance to the basement was.

Gill and Danville Sgt. William Wilt III entered the basement and found heavy smoke thick enough they had to leave the basement.

When they first entered the building, they saw heavy smoke in the entrance and stairway leading to the upper apartments.

Wilt charged Ahlum with arson, causing or risking catastrophe to the building and neighboring structures along with risking injury to tenants and recklessly endangering another person.

For more details, see Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Item.

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