Investigators say he set mobile home ablaze Tuesday morning
Stacey Lee Lewis
A suspicious early morning blaze on Tuesday, May 6, led New Garden Township Police to a mobile home in the 300 block of Ellicott Road in Avondale, said police, who are seeking one of the occupants believed to have set the fire.
Police gave the following account in a news release: Upon arriving, an officer found one of the residents standing outside the trailer who advised that he lost track of his father who exited the home with him. The officer asked the witness if his father was in the trailer, which prompted a reply of uncertainty. The officer attempted to gain entry into the trailer, which was generating heavy smoke and signs of fire. The officer found the front door locked, but he was able to force his way into the threshold of the residence. Fire personnel from several companies then arrived and began to fight the fire, which now engulfed the mobile home.
The witness, who was removed from the scene and interviewed by investigators, said his father, Stacey Lee Lewis, 56, and mother, Donna L. Lewis, 51, had a verbal domestic dispute at a different location within an hour of the fire. The witness further advised that his mother was not in the residence, adding that he was unaware of her whereabouts. During questioning, the witness stated that his father awoke him from his sleep and told him to get up and leave the house, the release said.
After the son exited the home with his father, he said his father re-entered the residence, advising him to go and wait in the car. The witness said he heard glass breaking and fire crackling from inside the residence when his father reappeared at the front door. The witness advised that he could see flames and smoke, adding that he could hear the alarms of the smoke detectors as his father closed and locked the front door. The witness said that he then ran to a neighbor’s home to call for the fire company, the release said.
Fire personnel extinguished the fire, which caused major damage to the building. The interior of the home and immediate perimeter were searched, and Stacey Lewis was not found. Police then requested the assistance of the Chester County Sheriff’s Office to conduct a search using their K-9 units, but he was still not located. The fire company returned to scene after the building re-ignited, causing the mobile home to collapse. No injuries were reported, police said.
The fire is being investigated by New Garden Township Police along with the Chester County and Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal’s Offices. Police are still attempting to locate Stacey Lewis, described as five-foot-nine and 198 pounds, and also want to speak with Donna Lewis. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is asked to call police at 610-268-3171 or 9-1-1.
