Canton: Reward offered for hydrant vandals

CANTON -- Canton police are on the lookout for vandals who damaged fire hydrants, in turn, jeopardizing the lives of Woodland Avenue residents and firefighters.

The house set on fire was vacant, but firefighters battling the blaze were caught inside without water.  Neighbors on either side had to be evacuated.

Whoever is responsible not only wanted the house to burn, but also wanted firefighters kept at bay.

Only the shell of this Woodland Avenue home is left. The charred remains are a reminder to neighbor Amy Gill just how close it came to being her home.

"It 's not just my safety.  There are children involved.  There is a newborn upstairs and my 13-year-old son," Gill said.

In the wee hours of last Friday morning, Gill and her neighbors woke to the sound of blaring sirens.

Not long after firefighters rushed inside did they have to retreat.

The truck pumps went dry.  Two nearby hydrants had been vandalized so badly they didn't work.

"I got guys in there in dire trouble because someone is screwing with us. Their lives are in danger," Battalion Chief Ray Harple said.

Chief Harple ordered the engine companies out of the house. For a time, they had no choice but to watch it burn.

"Until we found a water supply, we could not go back in the house and the fire was building," Harple said.

A neighbor down the street we'll call "Trish" says the arsonist could be her brother, Andrew.

He was thrown out of the house recently because of his violent behavior.

"Anything sets him off, every little thing," 'Trish' said.

The arsonist and motive remain a mystery.  All firefighters on the job are keenly aware of the result.

"Somebody is messing with somebody and the by-product is that firefighters are put in harms way," Chief Harple said.

The Canton Fire Prevention Bureau is offering a $750 reward for any information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the fire and hydrant damage.

'Trish' did report her suspicions to fire fighters on the scene last Friday.