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Former Westmoreland County firefighter charged with arson

NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. — A man whose job was to put out fires has been accused of starting one. Police charged an Irwin firefighter with burning a vacant mobile home. The fire got so hot, it melted a utility pole and a gas meter.

Deanna Painter lives next door to where now-former Irwin firefighter Sean Mann allegedly set a fire last month.

Painter said she watched it burn from her kitchen window that night, and was worried about it spreading.

“Oh it was big, it was pretty big. By the time I looked at it, I couldn’t see it from my living room setup. I can’t see into my kitchen but it was pretty big, little worrisome.”

Mann was charged by North Huntingdon Township Police with arson and reckless endangerment.

Police told Channel 11 that a message on Snapchat sent minutes before the fire was dispatched tied him to the crime.

“Through our developed leads, it was told to the police department that a Snapchat message was possibly sent to multiple people advising the fire was going to happen and that’s what led us to him,” North Huntingdon Township Detective Mark Hamilton explained.

Police said Mann was forthcoming about information in his interview, and said he started it with a lighter and lit styrofoam inside the trailer.

The chief of the Irwin Fire Department released a statement saying Mann is no longer affiliated with the department:

“As Fire Chief, it is beyond disheartening to learn that the accused put so many others in harm’s way so they could serve themselves. I want to be crystal clear that the alleged actions of former member Shawn Mann in no way reflect upon the many dedicated volunteer firefighters who serve our community each and every day.”

Channel 11 reached out to the landscaping company that owned the property and that Mann worked for, but they did not want to comment on the situation.

Mann was released from jail on Wednesday after posting bail.