Senator calls for full investigation into deadly orphanage fire
Senator Bob Casey is calling for a full investigation after a fire in a Haitian orphanage operated by the Scranton-based Church of Bible Understanding killed 15 children.
“This is a tragedy which took the lives of vulnerable children and health care workers. I pray for the victims and their families,” Casey wrote in a statement to Eyewitness News. “There must also be a complete investigation into this incident, which includes what happened during the fire and whether proper safety protocols were followed in the lead up to the fire. Any organization that operates a facility like this must be held to high standards and held accountable if those standards are not met. Right now, there are too many unanswered questions about this fire, which is why a full investigation is warranted,” he added.
On Tuesday, Eyewitness News obtained exclusive video of the burned out building. Garbage was piled up in bathrooms, bedrooms and hallways. The I-Team confirmed through federal tax records that the company claims more than $19 million in assets and spends about $600,000 a year operating two orphanages in Haiti.
Eyewitness News has since also confirmed that the Church of Bible Understanding and its wholly owned subsidiary Olde Good Things owns 12 properties, 11 of which are located in the city of Scranton.
A woman at one of the properties owned by the church identified herself as Linda McAndrews, wife of the principal officer Timothy McAndrews and mother of the church secretary, Tarah McAndrews.
When Eyewitness News asked McAndrews to connect us with someone at the church, she said “No, I don’t think I can do that.”
https://www.pahomepage.com/news/local-news/i-team-continues-investigation-of-controversial-church/
https://www.pahomepage.com/top-stories/controversial-church-has-storied-history-in-scranton/