UPDATE: There are changes to the approved charges. Please see section in bold below.

A joint investigation between the City's Fire Investigation Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), has resulted in an arrest in a February 8, 2021 fire that occurred at 1100/1102 Carson Street on the South Side.

The four-alarm blaze ripped through a commercial and residential structure that partially collapsed during the fire and was later demolished. The building was a designated historic structure.

Christian Ross, 25, of Pittsburgh was arrested and faces the following charges: Aggravated Arson, two counts of Arson Endangering Persons, Two Counts of Arson Endangering Property, one count Criminal Mischief, and one count Causing a Catastrophe.

He is currently being held in Allegheny County Jail on separate charges.

"This arrest and corresponding charges were made possible thanks to the seamless cooperation between our Fire Investigation Unit, the ATF, and the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office. I thank everyone for their hard work in bringing this case to a close," said Department of Public Safety Director, Wendell Hissrich. 

The Fire Investigation Unit is comprised of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police detectives and Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire investigators.

Original incident details:

https://pittsburghpa.gov/publicsafety/blotterview/1103