BELLEFONTE — Police arrested a Bellefonte man they said is a suspect in Monday morning’s blaze that destroyed the Mattress World warehouse on South Spring Street.

Jeffrey E. Karg, 22, of Bellefonte, was charged with arson, criminal mischief and unlawful burning. Police arrested Karg after evidence from the investigation pointed to him as a suspect, Police Chief Shawn Weaver said.

Karg was arrested without incident as he was walking downtown, Weaver said. Karg was arraigned Monday night before District Judge Thomas Jordan and placed in the Centre County prison. Bail was set at $150,000.

Weaver said investigators are looking into whether Karg was connected to the Sept. 9 Hotel Do De fire, which leveled the historic building just three blocks from the Mattress World warehouse.

“We are looking into that hard,” Weaver said, adding that Monday morning’s fire was “very suspicious,” having odd circumstances and being so close to the Do De fire.

Police think Karg acted alone but could not release details because of the ongoing investigation.
Weaver noted that a delivery truck also burned in the blaze. The cost of damages had not been determined.

Fire crews were called to the scene at about 4:20 a.m., where they reported heavy flames coming from the back of the metal structure.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the warehouse, Bellefonte Fire Chief Tim Schreffler said. Crews cut power to the building, and residents in the immediate area were without power temporarily.

The blaze comes just three weeks after the Hotel Do De, about three blocks away, was destroyed by an immense fire. The fire at the Do De also badly damaged the Garman Theatre building and the Centre County Courthouse Annex, both next door. There were no injuries. Other fires in downtown over the past decade include the Bellefonte Academy, the Bush House, the Cadillac Building and the Valentine House.

Investigators continue to search for a cause of the Do De blaze.

“We want to actively pursue the Do De fire investigation,” Weaver said. “There was potential for loss of life, and there was huge structural damage to a very important building in town. The fire obviously had potential to kill. That’s a very active investigation. We will exhaust all our resources on that fire.”
The Do De fire ignited a discussion last week among borough leaders on whether Bellefonte should mandate sprinkler systems in downtown buildings. A task force will be created to study the option as well as other fire-prevention measures. 

Schreffler described the latest fire in the commercial district as frustrating.

“When you have two major incidents like this within a few weeks, it does increase the stress level a little bit,” he said. “But more importantly, we have a job to do, and we continue to do what we can do best.” 

Christopher Passante can be reached at 231-4631.