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Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
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Old 11-23-2008, 09:43 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,616 posts, read 77,579,178 times
Reputation: 19101

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I just wanted to share with you some photos from the web site of the Times-Leader of the massive blaze recently that engulfed the Stauffer Pointe luxury townhouse community in Pittston Township, which was still under construction.




http://media.theweekender.com/images/DSC00860.jpg (broken link)
http://media.theweekender.com/images/DSC00861.jpg (broken link)
http://media.theweekender.com/images/DSC00855.jpg (broken link)
http://media.theweekender.com/images/DSC00844.jpg (broken link)
http://media.theweekender.com/images/DSC00843.jpg (broken link)
http://media.theweekender.com/images/DSC00850.jpg (broken link)

Fifteen townhouses along Grandview Drive were destroyed. The subdivision will have 182 town homes at full build-out, priced between $275,000-$350,000. It is being developed by the same company that brought Marina Pointe to Harvey's Lake.
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Old 11-23-2008, 09:52 PM
 
Location: wilkes-barre
1,973 posts, read 5,271,885 times
Reputation: 1003
Wow! They look pretty intense. Do you know if it was arson, or accidental?
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Old 11-24-2008, 01:57 AM
 
106,557 posts, read 108,713,667 times
Reputation: 80058
cool pics
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Old 11-24-2008, 04:41 AM
 
87 posts, read 258,467 times
Reputation: 58
$275,000-$350,000 for those? Durrr
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Old 11-24-2008, 06:22 AM
 
Location: Saylorsburg, PA
1,935 posts, read 3,140,817 times
Reputation: 1420
I'd bet it was arson. Can't blame someone for wanting to stop the McMansion's from ruining the neighborhood but still not the right thing to do. Good thing they were not occupied at the time.
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Old 11-24-2008, 09:55 AM
 
Location: Portsmouth Virginia
411 posts, read 1,290,039 times
Reputation: 191
How horrible. Where were the firewalls in the construction...how do you loose 15 units? I would think arson with multipe ignition points...
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Old 11-24-2008, 08:36 PM
 
Location: fla
1,507 posts, read 3,131,843 times
Reputation: 720
looks like the usual nepa way of avoiding a loss on property----haven't the insurance companies caught on yet?????
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Old 11-24-2008, 08:41 PM
 
Location: Dallas, PA
1,418 posts, read 3,582,507 times
Reputation: 602
What is it with FIRE in NEPA? Almost every single night there is another story on the news of a house on fire and "possible arson". It seems that around here it's like "Have a grudge against someone? Go burn their house down! "
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Old 11-25-2008, 05:17 AM
 
Location: Saylorsburg, PA
1,935 posts, read 3,140,817 times
Reputation: 1420
I've got to agree with "returningtonepa???", sounds like the company constructing/selling these units realized they probably weren't going to sell these high priced unit's anytime soon so what better way to cut your losse's. Burn 'em down, collect the dough, and do something on a smaller scale.
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Old 11-25-2008, 01:29 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,616 posts, read 77,579,178 times
Reputation: 19101
The fire was indeed ruled arson, as there were two points of ignition. My guess would be that someone involved with the developer (scorned business partner, outbid materials company, stiffed contractor, etc.) set it ablaze, but residents of adjacent Stauffer Heights in Pittston Township and Hughestown (Billy D'Elia of mafia fame's neighborhood), also voiced stiff opposition to the project from the get-go, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that someone in the 'hood started it as well.

DavidWebb mentioned eco-terrorism, and given the rampant rate of sprawl occurring now all around Pittston that wouldn't be too much of a surprise. People in Pittston don't particularly like rapid change, and with the downtown suddenly being transformed with an upscale street scape (thanks to casino money) along with a lot of new transplants moving into these high-end townhouse communities in the townships on the fringe of town, it is feasible that someone scorched Stauffer Pointe as a means to stop this growth.

The units were selling, even at the $300,000+ range pricing (there's more money in Pittston than people here let on), so I doubt the developer himself torched them because he was "stuck" with them. On the contrary the Pittston Sunday Dispatch newspaper had a huge article about the community perhaps back in September that profiled the first homeowners there and the developer's grand vision for a great upscale community to boost the area's tax base and livability. I can't imagine he'd torch his own project.
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