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Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro reopened his official home to the public for an Easter egg hunt on Tuesday, barely a week after a fire, started by an alleged arsonist, destroyed one of the wings at the residence.
“I’m not going to live in fear,” Shapiro told reporters on the west lawn of the residence, along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania’s capital Harrisburg.
He further said “the smell of smoke is gone from the living quarters,” adding that he hoped the fire-damaged rooms would have been “restored by mid-summer.” However, the 51-year-old Democrat declined to detail the security improvements which have been made or would be made.
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Do you think Governor Shapiro is right to reopen his official residence to the public after the fire?
The fire broke out in the early hours of April 3 as Shapiro, his wife, their children, extended family members and dogs slept upstairs, just hours after having celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover with members of Harrisburg’s Jewish community.
Shapiro, 51, is the first-term governor of Pennsylvania, America’s fifth-most populous state.
The alleged arsonist
Cody Balmer, 38, allegedly scaled the nearly 7-foot iron security gate, crossed the grounds and smashed windows with a hammer, ignited two glass bottles filled with gasoline, crawled inside, and finally slipped off into the dark minutes later. The rooms he allegedly lit ablaze were where the Shapiro family had held the Passover Seder just hours earlier.
Also Read: Who is the man accused of setting fire to Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s residence?
The suspected arson attack caused damage worth millions of dollars, according to fire officials, and there were no injuries. State troopers roused the governor and his family and evacuated them to safety.
Balmer has been in jail since turning himself in, on charges which include attempted homicide, arson, assault and burglary. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 28 to determine whether the case would go to trial. He has not entered a plea.
Balmer’s family says he suffers from mental illness, though he denied this in court. As per officials, Balmer expressed “hatred” for Shapiro, and say they are investigating whether “religious or political bias” could explain why he “hated” the politician.
According to police affidavits, the accused was asked what he could have done had he encountered Shapiro. He replied he would have “hit” the Pennsylvania governor with a sledgehammer.
State police have hired a former state police commissioner, Jeffrey Miller, to conduct a security review of the governor’s residence.
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