Man accused in fatal fire held for trial in 4 other blazes in arson-plagued Pa. steel town

Man held for trial in 4 Pa. steel town arsons

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — A man already charged in a fatal fire has been held for trial in four more blazes in an arson-plagued town near Philadelphia.

A district judge in Chester County ruled Monday there was enough evidence to try George Donkewicz (DONK’-uh-witz) in the other fires in Coatesville, a struggling steel town of 11,000 residents.

Prosecutors say the fires happened between June 2007 and November of last year. No one was hurt.

Investigators say Donkewicz confessed in December to starting a trash fire and another blaze that killed an 83-year-old woman. He’s been held without bail since then.

His attorney has declined to comment.

Donkewicz is one of six people accused of setting some of the nearly 50 fires in the Coatesville area late last year and early this year.

Many of the blazes remain unsolved.

Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, www.philly.com