A fire early Sunday morning that charred an adult bookstore on Route 40 was declared an arson by investigators from the state Fire Marshal?s Office.
At about 1:37 a.m., a passing motorist called 911 to report a fire outside an adult bookstore at 225 Pulaski Highway, according to officials at the Susquehanna Hose Company.
Because there is no adult store on that block, firefighters were dispatched to check out two likely candidates ? one at the intersection of Route 40 and Oakington Road, the other at Route 40 and Post Road.
“They know their area, so they started out in the right direction,” said Rich Gardiner, volunteer fire department and EMS spokesman.
Responding firefighters from Aberdeen and Havre de Grace found the blaze outside the American Novelty Corp. ? a store near Oakington Road on the 2200 block of Pulaski Highway ? and had it under control within 10 minutes. They remained at the scene for about an hour, Gardiner said.
Construction debris and storage from a recent renovation had been set on fire behind the building, causing about $5,000 in damage, said Jason Mowbray, deputy chief fire marshal. He would not comment on how fire marshals determined it was an arson because the investigation is ongoing, but Mowbray said he was not aware of any suspects.
The business had apparently been open only a few days or was still in the process of opening when the fire broke out, he said. A “grand opening” still hung over the door, advertising gifts for “bachelor and bachelorette” parties.
The fire caused minor smoke damage to the inside of the building and some fire damage to the single-story building?s attic. The fire marshal?s report listed no damage to the merchandise.
