A man is accused of setting fire to a home in Pittsburgh’s Windgap neighborhood with three people inside.
Timothy Hamilton is charged with arson in connection with the fire on Thursday. The moment the house went up in flames was caught on video, which shows people scrambling and neighbors yelling that three people were trapped inside.
A home in Pittsburgh’s Windgap neighborhood caught on fire on Oct. 23, 2025.
(Photo Credit: KDKA)
According to the criminal complaint, Hamilton came to the home on Windgap Avenue yelling and pounding on the door, demanding to see a woman inside. But authorities said the woman he was looking for did not live in the home.
Neighbors said Hamilton first showed up at the home around 5 p.m. on Thursday. In a doorbell video from a neighbor’s home, Hamilton is allegedly seen standing in the driveway outside his truck, blaring the horn.
He allegedly came back to the home around 7 p.m. In the doorbell video, he is allegedly seen standing on the front porch. Two hours later, he allegedly returned to the home for a third time, walking to the porch again before leaving.
Moments later, neighbors described hearing a loud boom and seeing a flash as the home went up in flames. The three people inside escaped through the home’s back door. Neighbors said firefighters arrived minutes later, and by then the entire front of the home was engulfed in flames.
According to the criminal complaint, detectives said doorbell footage showed Hamilton leaving the porch seconds before flames ignited where he had been standing. Investigators ruled the fire intentional, saying it was started by lighting a couch, mattress and garbage on the porch with a lighter or match.
Hamilton is in the Allegheny County Jail.