Two Philadelphia men were found guilty by a jury for their roles in an arson that caused a building to collapse killing a firefighter in 2022, according to officials.
The fire happened on June 18, 2022 at a Fairhill pizza shop, officials said. The fire ultimately led to the death of Philadelphia Fire Department Lt. Sean Williamson and five other first responders were hurt when the building collapsed.
Al-Ashraf Khalil, 31, was listed as the owner of the building located on the 300 block of West Indiana Avenue that had both the pizza shop and apartments.
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Officials said that Khalil and Isaam Jaghama, 31, set a fire inside that building with the intention to file an insurance claim for the damages.
On the day of the fire, Khalil allegedly signed that paperwork requesting over $400,000 in insurance claims.
Khalil and Jaghama were found guilty of conspiracy to commit malicious damage by means of fire of a building used in interstate commerce and other related charges. Khalil was also convicted of wire fraud.
According to officials Khalil faces a mandatory sentencing of anything from 17 years in prison to life. Jaghama faces seven years to a lifetime in prison when he is sentenced.
Shortly after the fire occurred, authorities said Khalil flew from the United States to Jordan after telling investigators he had no travel plans. However, he was refused entry to Jordan and was arrested at an airport in New York City. Authorities have said they used handcuffs that had the deceased firefighter’s initials on them.
Pizza shop fire, collapse kills firefighter
The June 18 blaze killed Lt. Sean Williamson, 51, who was trapped in the rubble and pronounced dead at the scene.
Eight people were safely evacuated from the apartments after the fire broke out, but the building collapsed after the blaze was brought under control and trapped Williamson inside.
Williamson, 51, was laid to rest Monday, June 27, 2022, during a funeral Mass attended by hundreds of people. The lieutenant was a 27-year Philadelphia Fire Department veteran. He had worked at Ladder 18 in the Hunting Park neighborhood. He had one son, the city said.
At the department, he taught the fire academy, served with the specialized Rescue 1 company and was a member of PA-Task Force 1, the federal urban search-and-rescue team sponsored by the PFD, the department said.
"He was a great guy, a great fireman and made the ultimate sacrifice protecting this city," Ellie Holt, who worked with Williamson at the Fire Academy said at his funeral.
Williamson had one son. Before joining the PFD, he was a Marine, the department said.
