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Man charged with arson in business district fire

1 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – A man has been charged with arson in an early morning fire that gutted and damaged five buildings in the main business district of a poor Pittsburgh suburb.

Twenty-seven-year-old Edward McDonald, who lived in one of the apartments destroyed by Friday’s six-alarm blaze, is charged with more than a dozen counts of arson as well as risking a catastrophe.

Authorities allege in a criminal complaint that McDonald told investigators that he started the blaze “in response to the voices in his head and as a way of dealing with the stress and torment he was feeling.”

Asked by reporters whether he started the fire, McDonald replied “Yeah, I guess I did.”

He remains in Allegheny County jail unable to post $100,000 bond; court records don’t list an attorney for him.

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