Authorities seek man seen in area before fatal Jeannette fire erupted

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of a deadly fire on South Seventh Street in Jeannette last week, but they’re hoping to find a witness who was seen in the area minutes before it sparked.

Surveillance video shows a man walking up and down the alley behind the rowhomes several times.

Police say he could be a key factor in helping them solve this fire, or at least give them some answers if he saw something.

“He appears to be at this location just a couple of minutes before it catches on fire, so we believe he could be a witness to how this fire could’ve started,” said Trooper Steve Limani of the Pennsylvania State Police.

Less than five minutes before smoke started to fill the alley, state police say the man walked by. The cause of the fire that killed 87-year old Shirley Kocherhans and seriously injured her granddaughter – who remains in the hospital in critical condition – is undetermined.

“Could be a key turning point to whether we can determine if this was an arson investigation or just an accidental fire, whatever it was that took place that took this woman’s life,” Limani said.

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Police have pulled some pieces of the building to see if they can determine if there were any accelerants or any signs of electric issues, but they haven’t gotten those results back yet from the lab.

Cox Media Group