Pennsylvania fire chief credits closed doors for saving lives during governor's mansion attack

Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline credits closed doors for redeeming lives during the occurrence that ripped done the governor's mansion successful Pennsylvania.

Enterline said during a media league connected Monday his section faced challenges uncovering wherever the occurrence was and gaining introduction to the complex. 

"We conscionable can't thrust occurrence trucks to the beforehand of the thing," Enterline said. "We had to chopped immoderate gates."

The occurrence main said erstwhile they gained access, they were capable to "quickly incorporate that occurrence from spreading."

PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR'S MANSION ATTACK SUSPECT CODY BALMER ADMITTED 'HARBORING HATRED' TOWARD SHAPIRO: POLICE

Fire harm wrong the Pennsylvania governor's mansion is shown, aft an evident arson onslaught aboriginal Sunday morning.  (Commonwealth Media Services)

"It was a precise surreal country erstwhile I got determination astir 15 minutes into it," helium added, saying that it was precise important firefighters preserved grounds near down by the alleged arsonist for investigators. 

"Luckily, for the politician and his family, determination were doors closed betwixt that main information of the ballroom and the hallway that leads to the main and maestro staircase going to the 2nd floor," Enterline said. "It would person been a wholly antithetic occurrence and a wholly antithetic outcome, astir likely, had that doorway not been closed."

PENNSYLVANIA POLICE ARREST SUSPECT AFTER GOVERNOR’S MANSION SET ON FIRE WHILE GOV JOSH SHAPIRO, FAMILY SLEPT

A soot-stained placard advertizing Passover crafts for children. (Commonwealth Media Services)

Enterline said the governor's mansion was built successful 1968 and did not person a occurrence suppression system, which helium hopes volition beryllium added during the remodel. 

Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is "currently receiving treatment" astatine a infirmary for a "medical lawsuit not connected to this incidental oregon his arrest," Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) said. 

Cody Balmer, 38, is charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism, and related offenses for allegedly mounting occurrence to Gov. Josh Shapiro's, D-Penn., governor's mansion connected April 13, 2025. (Dauphin County District Attorney's Office)

Balmer has been charged with home terrorism, aggravated arson, aggravated assault, transgression homicide and different counts, according to a transgression ailment unveiled Monday. 

President Donald Trump was asked during his gathering with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele if helium had learned of a imaginable motive for Balmer.

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"No, I haven't, but, the attacker was not a instrumentality of Trump, I understand," Trump said. "Just from what I work and from what I've been told, the attacker fundamentally wasn't a instrumentality of anybody's. Probably conscionable a whack job. And surely a happening similar that cannot beryllium allowed to happen."