Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he and his family had to evacuate his official residence after it was set ablaze by a suspected arsonist.
The Democrat, often touted as a future White House contender, said he woke up in the middle of the night to authorities banging on the door of the home as a fire spread.
“Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” Shapiro said in a statement on X on Sunday morning.
The governor and state authorities say the fire was the act of an arsonist, though no arrests have been announced. No one was injured, Shapiro added.
The fire happened after Shapiro and his family celebrated the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover at the Harrisburg home in the state capital.
State authorities said while the blaze was extinguished, it caused “a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence”.
The governor and his family were in a different part of the brick home when the fire was set, police said.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire worked to put out the blaze while police evacuated Shapiro and his family, the governor said.
Authorities are offering a $10,000 (£7,644) reward for information that leads to any arrest in the case.
Shapiro and his wife, Lori, have four children together: Sophia, Jonah, Max and Reuben.
The governor was considered as a possible running mate for former Vice-President Kamala Harris during her run for president in 2024. Instead, she chose former Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
The Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence, in Harrisburg, is a 29,000 sq ft Georgian-style home from 1968 that has housed eight governors.
Shapiro has served as Pennsylvania governor since 2023, after working as the state’s attorney general.
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