Allegany fire
Times Herald file photo
Extensive damage is evident at 3122 Buffalo Road, Allegany, following a fire in early April. The Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office has arrested the home's owner for insurance fraud following a lengthy investigation.
Posted: Friday, September 11, 2015
By KELSEY BOUDIN, Olean Times Herald
LITTLE VALLEY, NY
The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a former Allegany man who allegedly caused a fire at his own home in early April.
Following an extensive, months-long investigation by the Cattaraugus County Fire Investigation Team (CATTFIT), authorities on Tuesday charged Harry P. Scull, 41, of 3629 N. Authority Road, Great Valley, with second-degree insurance fraud, a class C felony. The sheriff’s office announced the arrest Friday.
The house fire occurred the evening of April 6 at 3122 Buffalo Road. Firefighters with Allegany Engine Co. responded at approximately 9:30 p.m. that day and were soon joined by several other volunteer agencies to douse the blaze consuming the small, single-story residence.
Nearby residents that evening reported what Allegany Engine Co. press officer Gordon Scott described as “a loud, ground-shaking explosion” near the intersection of Buffalo Road and North 7th Street.
No injuries were reported. No one was home at the time, Scott said at the scene that evening.
The home was deemed a total loss. Extensive damage to the property hindered investigation efforts at first, Scott told the Times Herald in weeks following the fire.
“The building was basically blown apart,” he said in April. “It’s hard to trace now (because) they have to sift through all of the charred floors and walls and make sure there wasn’t an accelerant, and if there was, what it was.”
Scull was released under supervision, according to a sheriff’s office report.
No further details were available on how the fire was caused. Attempts to call investigators for comment Friday afternoon were unsuccessful.