A serious fire on W Corydon Street led to an emergency home demolition on Saturday — and an arson investigation.

According to Chief Dan Burkhouse of the Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department, at 3:57 a.m. the Bradford Township Police Department dispatched the fire department to a fire at 133 W. Corydon St., owned by William Lupold of Bradford.

“Upon arrival, we saw that the house was fully involved,” said Burkhouse. “The house was vacant, so we used a defense exterior attack to extinguish the fire,” he said.

State Police Fire Marshal David Powell was on the scene and ruled the cause of the fire to be arson, Burkhouse said.

“There were no active utilities, the gas and electricity had all been shut off, leading Powell to suspect arson,” Burkhouse explained.

Due to the severe damage to the structure and close proximity to the street, the house was deemed unsafe to leave standing, leading to an emergency home demolition.

“The house would have fallen into the road, so it had to come down,” Burkhouse said. Traffic was monitored and controlled throughout the process from 1 to 3 p.m.

An investigation is ongoing. The fire department is asking anyone with information to contact the Bradford Township Police Department, The Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department or the state police.