AUTHORITIES: Fire at Brackney Inn Found To Be Arson
In the early morning hours of Monday, May 9, 2022, a fire was reported at the Brackney Inn which sits near the New York and Pennsylvania border in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.
Fire crews from the Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Company discovered a small porch fire which was quickly extinguished. However, there appeared to be evidence that the fire was not the result of an accident but rather arson.
On Friday, May 13, 2022, the Office of the District Attorney of Susquehanna County released a statement that the May 9 fire at the fire prone Brackney Inn was in fact the result of arson.
According to the District Attorney's Office, on the morning of the fire, members of the Silver Lake Volunteer Fire Company responded to the fire and upon extinguishing it and upon finding the evidence that led them to believe the fire was intentionally set, they contacted the New York State Police Fire Marshall Unit and the Silver Lake Police Department for additional support in investigation.
The agencies then requested additional help from the Susquehanna County District Attorneys Office Detective Division. The investigation between the agencies came to a conclusion that 32-year-old Gregg Zahora of Hallstead, Pennsylvania was allegedly responsible for the arson.
On May 13, 2022, an arrest warrant was issued for Zahora who was charged with arson, risking a catastrophe, and criminal mischief. Zahora has been remanded to the Susquehanna County Correctional Facility.
The Brackney Inn has a history of fires including two quite destructive ones which both took place within less than a year of each other starting in 2017. Both of those fires were ruled accidental.