A Frankford woman has been charged with setting 10 fires in her neighborhood, two of which displaced several families two weekends ago.
Noelle Bilbrough, 36, of the 1600 block of Pratt St., was arrested May 22 on the 1600 block of Orthodox St., said Steven Bartholomew, spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
He said investigators from the ATF City-Wide Arson Task Force said Bilbrough had set 10 fires in Frankford since April 19. No one was injured in those fires.
The Red Cross sheltered several families after fires on the 4400 block of Paul St. and the 1600 block of Kinsey St. forced them from their homes on May 19 and 20.
The task force, which comprises investigators from the Philadelphia fire marshal’s office, city police and the ATF, linked Bilbrough to fires set in or near:
• 4603 Frankford Ave.;
• 1249 Adams Ave.;
• 4600 Ditman St.;
• 4400 Griscom St.;
• 4200 Kensington Ave.;
• 1529 Sellers St. (twice);
• 4444 Paul St.;
• 1675 Kinsey St.; and
• 4428 Frankford Ave.
Bartholomew said some of the fires were small, outside buildings or in vehicles.
Bilbrough has been charged with arson, causing a catastrophe, reckless endangerment and related offenses. She has a criminal record in Philadelphia that goes back to 2006. She had been found guilty of promoting prostitution in 2006, ’07 and ’08. She also allegedly violated her probation.
She is being held in the Riverside Correctional Facility on State Road. ••
