Evidence is pointing toward arson as the cause of a Nov. 25 fire that forced the Northeast Times to close its main office in Trevose, but investigators are still hunting for clues to identify those responsible for the blaze.
Bensalem Police Detective Mark Kelly said that the cause is officially undetermined, but arson is suspected. The cause remains under investigation by the township’s fire marshal.
Four fire engine companies and two ladder companies were called to 2512 Metropolitan Drive at about 10:30 p.m. after motorists on the nearby Pennsylvania Turnpike saw flames shooting above the building. The fire engulfed thousands of newspapers stacked behind the company’s warehouse, as well as a loading dock and a portion of the roof.
“You had pallets of wrapped newspapers [catch fire]; there was no heat source in the area and there were no lightning strikes,” Kelly said, explaining the known conditions of the blaze.
Those circumstances would seem to rule out accidental or natural causes.
Kelly declined to discuss specifics of the investigation, which he described as active. Police have asked Northeast Times executives whether anyone might have a motive to harm the newspaper.
Battalion Chief Robert Sponheimer of the Bensalem Fire Department did not respond to calls requesting comment.
Since the fire, the paper’s news team has been operating out of the company’s Broad Street Media offices in Cherry Hill.
To contact the news department, call 215–354–3025 or e-mail pronews@bsmphilly.com ••
