Police are giving up their search to discover the exact cause of a fire that gutted six students' Sansom Street home in March.
They plan to stop actively investigating the arson and will instead mark the case inactive, which means it will remain open but no further investigation will be conducted unless new evidence turns up.
The March 3 fire erupted at about 3:35 a.m. and sent six Penn students and one Bryn Mawr student to the hospital.
Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker said there's only a slim chance that they will ever crack the case.
"We don't think we're ever going to clear this," Walker said. "We have no witnesses who are placing anybody being responsible for this act as of right now."
Walker said all seven students have been interviewed, but officials have yet to contact several witnesses.
Two of the students who were in the house at the time of the fire were not residents. The five house residents have already relocated to an apartment at 39th Street and Baltimore Avenue with the assistance of their realtor, Walter Wood Real Estate.
Engineering sophomore Julia Onorato -- who was visiting the house when the fire broke out -- said while she is disappointed that the case has not been solved, she is thankful that no one was hurt.
"As much as it bothers me, I'm also glad that it's over," she said. "It's a life-changing event. You're never going to take something like this for granted again."
Onorato, who lives in the Quadrangle, was rescued from the house's third-story windows by firefighters.
"The only thing you can take from this is to be careful," she said.
Statistics from the National Fire Prevention Association indicate that only 17 percent of arsons in 2003 resulted in arrests.
Wharton senior Ricardo Franco, who lived at the house, said it makes no difference that the fire has not been resolved.
"We got out with our lives," he said. Franco escaped by jumping out of a second-story window. He is scheduled to visit the doctor this week to check on the status of his injuries, which include a hairline fracture to his right heel after his escape.
Franco said that all house members are well on their way to recovering from their injuries. Franco, in particular, sings songs about fire to help him get over the incident.
"When you look and look and look and you can't find [anything] at all, sometimes that weighs heavily on you," he said on seeing the extent of the damage.
All that was left of Franco's possessions was the frame of an office chair, mattress springs and some burnt dictionaries.
On the other hand, he said, some of his housemates found some personal items completely intact.
"Some of their horrible, horrible textbooks survived, the ones that they wanted to burn the most," he said.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
