HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Harrisburg Bureau of Police and Bureau of Fire announced charges against a man for a string of arsons in Harrisburg.
Tyler Kapp, 29, of Marysville, is facing arson among other related offenses for his role in multiple fires in Marysville and in the Allison Hill section of Harrisburg between late May and early June.
He is being held in Perry County Prison on $100,000 bail.
Authorities are also investigating to see if they can link Kapp to other arsons which occurred in Harrisburg.
"This is a great day for the City of Harrisburg and for Marysville," Fire Chief Brian Enterline said.
Chief Enterline called Kapp a serial arsonist. Chief Enterline says Kapp witnessed the fires and even offered to help extinguish the flames.
"He did confess to several of the fires he's being charged with," Enterline told FOX43.
Enterline says Kapp started three fires on the 1300 block of State Street, which is within walking distance from the fire department. Kapp is accused of setting two other fires on 13th Street and another on Vernon Street. Enterline described the damage to those buildings as minimal.
"That was only because of the work of Harrisburg Bureau of Fire. Given another two or three minutes these would've been substantial fires," he commented.
Law enforcement in Marysville and Harrisburg worked together to catch Kapp. No first responders suffered an injury during the incidents; however, investigators say Kapp endangered a toddler during one of the fires. He is also facing charges for a newer crime.
"Aggravated arson which is a relatively new crime," explained Fran Chardo, the Dauphin County District Attorney.
"When you look at the men and women who responded on these... When you're getting up multiple times in the middle of the night to respond -- it's a pain in the neck," explained Enterline. "When you look at State Street, when you look at how close those homes are, the devastation could've been significant."
You can watch the full press conference here:
