LANCASTER COUNTY – A Lancaster County man charged with endangering his neighbor’s home when he intentionally set his own residence ablaze will have his case proceed to county court. 55-year-old Joseph Roda of Sadsbury Township waived his preliminary hearing on a single count of reckless burning. Roda is accused of recklessly placing a neighboring residence in danger when he purposefully set fire to his abandoned home in the 100 block of Upper Valley Road on July 26. A large tree between the neighboring home, less than 60 feet away from Roda’s own residence, caught fire before fire units arrived. Roda told police he was tearing down the remainder of the abandoned home by pulling plywood from the exterior, piling it less than a foot away from the wall, and setting fire on it with a match and gasoline. As the fire grew, it caught the side of Roda’s residence on fire. After Roda’s home caught fire, he did not call 911 or attempt to put out the blaze using a nearby garden hose, claiming its purpose was solely for watering plants. Roda repeatedly claimed that he had a burn permit to destroy debris on the property, but refused to provide it. Roda is free on $25,000 unsecured bail.
