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SALEM -- A fire at a residence on North Madison Avenue Sunday night just a few hours after a domestic at the same address has been deemed suspicious, with the State Fire Marshal and Salem Police investigating.
Firefighters were called to the home owned by Heidi Hostetter at 291 N. Madison Ave. at 9:04 p.m. after a neighbor reported possibly seeing smoke and flames inside the structure, for a call of a possible structure fire. Upon arrival by both the city police and fire departments, there was smoke coming out of the house and according to Salem Fire Chief Scott Mason, there was no one inside the house. The homeowner arrived on the scene a short time later.
Mason gave credit to his crew for quickly extinguishing the blaze within 10 to 15 minutes of arriving. The fire was isolated to the master bedroom on the first floor, with the door burnt off halfway up and smoke damage throughout the house. The method of how the fire started is under investigation, but he said it looked as if the fire started near or on the actual bed.
"No electrical outlets were close that would contribute to ignition. Samples were taken from the scene by the fire marshal to be tested," Mason said.
No injuries were reported and a cat was rescued by the chief during the investigation.
When asked about the suspicious nature of the fire, Mason said "the house was completely ransacked," with the television knocked off the stand and smashed, furniture tossed around and "everything in disarray."
Damages were estimated at $5,000 for the property and $10,000 for the contents, according to the fire report.
Detective Brad Davis of the Salem Police Department said he's "working with the fire marshal's office conducting interviews and trying to gather evidence."
No arrests were made related to the fire, but one arrest was made outside after the fire for a domestic violence incident reported at 5:15 p.m. Sunday at the residence.
Robert J. Kastanek, 34, whose address was listed as the property where the fire occurred, was charged with domestic violence and taken to the Columbiana County jail where he remains awaiting a pre-trial hearing. A female told police she was trying to sleep when her boyfriend became agitated that she was sleeping and proceeded to get violent with her. She sustained minor injuries to her neck, the report said.
At the time, the male, identified later as Kastanek, wasn't there, but was located later. Davis said the arrest occurred after the fire, outside the residence.
According to past Common Pleas Court records, Kastanek was sentenced to two years in prison in 2008 for arson for a fire-setting spree that damaged five vehicles in the area of Woodland, State and East Pershing early in the morning on Dec. 20, 2007. Kastanek pled guilty to three counts of arson, acknowledging his involvement in damaging three of the five vehicles.
Mason said if anyone heard anything, saw anything or knows anything about the fire Sunday night, they should contact Davis at the Salem Police Department at 330-337-7811 or they can call Mason at 330-337-6183.
mgreier@salemnews.net