City hall fire, vehicle burning probed as arson

LANCASTER (AP) — Authorities say a fire that damaged the entrance of a Pennsylvania city hall and another fire that destroyed a vehicle nearby are being investigated as possible arson.

The Lancaster city fire department and police responded at about 3:45 a.m. Wednesday to extinguish the flames. No injuries were reported.

Mayor Danene Sorace said “This was arson. There was nothing that was accidental about this” and vowed a vigorous investigation. She estimated damage at tens of thousands of dollars.

The mayor called the situation “very upsetting” and said “This is not how we solve issues.”

She acknowledged that there had been a heated City Council meeting Tuesday night, but she said investigators aren’t making any assumptions about the motive.