Jeannette police are trying to identify a woman seen leaving a home on Magee Avenue over the weekend just before a fire there, according to Chief Donald Johnston Jr.
The blaze was reported at 5:20 p.m. Saturday. Authorities said it is suspicious.
Firefighters extinguished the flames quickly because someone spotted the fire, which was contained to a first-floor living room, Chief Bill Frye said. The home does not have utilities and is considered abandoned, he said. The cause is undetermined.
A witness told police that a light could be seen in the basement and a woman was seen walking along Magee Avenue around the time of the blaze, Johnston said. Surveillance footage showed the woman leave the two-story home at 5:13 p.m.
“As she was exiting, you could see a glow through the window,” he said.
The woman is a “person of interest” for investigators and Johnston said he hopes the public can help to identify her. The white woman has brown hair and was wearing glasses and dark clothing at the time.
The home has been condemned, according to a sign affixed to the front door.
Anyone with information on her identity can contact Jeannette police at 724-527-4013 or leave an anonymous tip through the department’s CrimeWatch web page.
