Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-03-08
|NCEND|ARY BLAZE
DAMAGES PONz|O HOME
Firemen Say They Found Gaso-
line Smeared About Interior
Of House.

What the police and fire department
officials declare they believe to have
been an incendiary fire broke out last
night about $50 o'clock in the home
of Vincent Ponzio at 5l7 West
seventh street and before the flames
had been cNtinguished the building
and furniture had been damaged 70
the extent OF 50 200. Ponzio stated to-
day that he carried $4,000 insurance
on his furniture. Fire Marshal r.
Morton Ainscow and Detective Ben
son are making an investigation Of
the case but up 10 noon today they
had developed nothing they said which
would warrant their making an ar
rest.
The furniture In the rooms on the
firsi floor were smeared and saturate
with mixture. large percentage
OF which was gasoline. II is practical
~ the same liquid. gasoline and
bicycle cement which has been found
In two or three other places where
incendiary fires started during the
last two months. This material burn.
tiercely until the gasoline has been
NssAA N-ANA4 Ailt NtilftlN makes
a dense choking smoke which makes
II hard and dangerous for the fremen
to get at a fire. AS soon as il ALI
burns of il leaves furniture or what
ever IL may have been applied TO
badly scorched and ruined but NOT
totally destroyed. Marshal Ainscov
today recovered some OF the fluid used
in Ponzios home and will have il
analyzed.
Ponzio told the officials today that
last night about 7.sO O'Clock he and
his wife took their baby to a neigh
hors s house and left il there and then
took the neighbors little girl and went
10 the moving pictures. He said his
home was securely locked and there
was nothing about the premises that
could have started a fire. There is
store in the front room on the first
floor and his dining room and kitchen
at the rear. c. Brankino and his
family live on the second floor.
The Brankinos discovered the fire
about o'clock when they smelled
smoke and gave the alarm. Someone
sent In call from box No I1s and
Engine Companies Nos. and and
Truck No. responded. The flremen
found the two rooms seething fur
mace. II was with much difficulty
that they could get at the seat OF the
trouble because OF the dense smoke.
When they did succeed in extinguish-
ing the blaze the entire contents OF
both rooms were ruined and the loss
amounted 10 such "a large figure be-
cause OF the fact that some hand
painted and valuable pictures were
destroyed.
When the fremen got into the
house they say they found the com
bination OF cement and gasoline
smeared all over the furniture and
carpets. Ponzio said he knew no
one who would want 10 do him injury
OF this kind. he has not received any
threatening letters and he knows OF
no enemies who would resort to in
cendiarism 70 do him harm. The fire
started in the dining room but there
was nothing found there TO indicate
The origin except the deliberate ap-
plication OF a lighted match.
The people In the rooms on the
second floor probably would have been
/ sufocated had they been asleep in
bed at the time. Their rooms were
| filled with the smoke but all OF them
got out in safety.
The house is owned by Mary Bern
stein Of 400 West Eighth street.