Two House Fires on South Avenue

The house a convicted felon was accused of trying to have burned downed two years ago was destroyed by fire this morning, and the house next door was heavily damaged as well.

The blaze at 103 South Avenue was reported at about 7:50 a.m. after several neighbors heard an explosion. The house is owned by Tracy Panighetti and 56-year-old Edward Panighetti Sr., who was sentenced last year to six to 16 years in state prison for a number of convictions. Two years ago he was charged with several arson-related offenses, but all but one of those was dismissed. One of the charges that was dismissed dealt with Panighetti allegedly hiring someone to set a fire at 103 South Avenue.

As for today’s fire, people on Elm Street said they heard an explosion and thought someone in the Congress Street area had dropped a piece of heavy equipment, but then went outside and realized it was a fire. He said by the time he got to the corner of Elm and South Avenue flames were already shooting through the roof and he estimated that some of them were 10 feet in the air.

A Tibbetts Avenue resident said the first explosion shook his home, and his neighbors’.

No one was living at 103. We don't have information yet on who lives at 105.

The fire at 103 South Avenue melted the siding on 105 South Avenue and also sparked a fire in the attic of that house. We don’t have reports of any injuries.

We’ll have more information when it becomes available, but that may not be for several more hours.

Besides City of Bradford firefighters, Bradford Township and Derrick City are on the scene. Rew is on standby. Lewis Run and Corydon townships are covering Bradford; Lafayette Township is covering Lewis Run.

Bradford City Police and DPW personnel are on the scene as well.

City firefighters have also received several unrelated EMS calls while battling the fires.

Note: The background information is just that: Background information on the history of the house and its owner, which is ironic.

Photos by (from top to bottom) Jacquie Schwindler, Anne Holliday (WESB), Kim Wright, Anne Holliday (WESB)

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