Crews tear open walls, ceiling after bedroom catches fire (2025)

TIME FOR WGAL NEWS EIGHT’S AGO. THE NEWS EIGHT STORM TEAM IS ALL HERE TO HELP YOU START YOUR DAY. GOOD MORNING. I’M GABRIELLE THOMAS, LIVE HERE IN DOWNTOWN LANCASTER. AND JERRY BAGENSTOS, THE MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS WIFE 40 YEARS AGO, WILL BE IN COURT TODAY AS THE TRIAL IS NOW SET. COURT STARTS AT 9:00 THIS MORNING. AND AS WE RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CASE, WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATED. IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY, A MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING A POLICE OFFICER WILL NOT BE SENTENCED TO DEATH. SAIFULLAH ABDUL SALAM HAD BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SHOOTING AND KILLING A CUMBERLAND COUNTY POLICE OFFICER IN 1994, BUT THAT SENTENCE WAS OVERTURNED IN 2018 BASED ON A LACK OF EVIDENCE ABOUT HIS TROUBLED BACKGROUND THAT COULD HAVE LED TO A LESSER SENTENCE. SO THE JURY IN THIS WEEK’S RESENTENCING TRIAL DID NOT REACH A UNANIMOUS DECISION, MEANING THAT ABDUL SALAM COULD NOT BE GIVEN THE DEATH PENALTY. THE JUDGE IN THE CASE RULED THE JURY AS HOPELESSLY DEADLOCKED, MEANING ABDUL SALAM WILL OFFICIALLY BE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON. APRIL 4TH. IN A PICTURE PERFECT SUNRISE IN LEBANON. RIGHT NOW, THE SUN JUST POPPING OVER THE HORIZON IN TIME FOR US TO GO. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WE WILL START OUT CLEAR THIS MORNING, BUT THE CLOUDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE FROM WEST TO EAST OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. TEMPERATURES 30S AND LOW 40S. RIGHT NOW WE’RE ON OUR WAY TO A HIGH. IN THE 60S TODAY, THE START OF THIS HUGE WARMING TREND. AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND, WHICH WILL FEATURE 80S AND 70S ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. BUT 80S COME FOR US TOMORROW AS THIS WARM FRONT IN THE MIDWEST LIFTS NORTH TONIGHT. WEATHER PLANNER TODAY WE GO WITH 62 FOR YOUR HIGH. YOU MIGHT SEE A FEW SHOWERS, ESPECIALLY TOWARD EVENING. TONIGHT. ANY SHOWERS WIND DOWN. WE’LL SEE 54 FOR OUR LOW. INCREDIBLY MILD THERE. THAT’S OUR AVERAGE HIGH ALMOST. AND THEN AS WE HEAD INTO TOMORROW THERE’S YOUR 80. BEAUTIFUL DAY. IT’S GOING TO FEEL LIKE JUNE. WE START WITH SOME CLOUDS. WE’LL SEE INCREASING SUNSHINE AND WINDY CONDITIONS. WE’LL TALK MORE ABOUT MONDAY’S IMPACT DAY COMING UP. WE ARE FOLLOWING THREE CRASHES ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY RIGHT NOW ONE IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY, TWO IN LANCASTER COUNTY. LET’S BEGIN IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY. THIS IS ON A MAJOR ROADWAY. THIS IS ON 81 SOUTH. THERE WAS ONE LANE BLOCKED THERE AT EXIT 37, WHICH IS PA 233. IN THE CARLISLE AREA IN LANCASTER COUNTY. TWO CRASHES. THE FIRST WILL SHOW YOU HERE IN EARL TOWNSHIP. THIS IS ON 23, WHICH IS MAIN STREET AT WATER STREET, AND THE OTHER ONE IN WEST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP. A CRASH ON 272 WILLOW STREET PIKE AT VIOLET AVENUE. WE ARE FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS OUT OF LANCASTER COUNTY, WHERE AN EARLY MORNING FIRE DAMAGED AN APARTMENT. CREWS SAY THE FIRE STARTED BECAUSE OF A FAULTY HVAC SYSTEM. THIS WAS ON WHEATLAND AVENUE NEAR NORTH PRESIDENT AVENUE IN LANCASTER TOWNSHIP AROUND THREE THIS MORNING. DISPATCHERS SAY THE APARTMENT WAS EVACUATED. EVERYONE GOT OUT SAFELY. ONE PERSON WAS DISPLACED, AND EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT SATURDAY’S HIGH RIGHT 80 DEGREES. IT IS GOING TO BE WINDY, THOUGH. WE HAVE TO GET THAT WARM AIR IN HERE SOMEHOW. SUNDAY WILL FEATURE SOME SHOWERS, ESPECIALLY TOWARD EVENING, BUT I THINK MOST OF THE DAY IS DRY. MONDAY IS THE DAY WHERE WE WATCH A COLD FRONT COMING IN, AND THAT FRONT COULD PRODUCE SOME DAMAGING WIND GUST