Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro and Family Evacuated from Their Home as State Police Investigate Arson

• Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was evacuated from his home alongside his family during the early hours of Sunday, April 13, amid a fire
• Shapiro, 51, “woke up to bangs on the door” from Pennsylvania State Police at around 2 a.m. local time, he wrote in a statement
• Authorities have determined the fire to be an “act of arson” and are investigating, and Pennsylvania State Police announced later in the day that a Harrisburg man, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, was arrested and charged in connection with the incident

Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, was evacuated from his home in Harrisburg alongside his family following what authorities are now calling an “act of arson.”

Police were first alerted to the fire at around 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, April 13, when the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire responded to the Governor’s Residence on North Front Street, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) said in a statement.

Shapiro, 51, was in the home with his family when he “woke up to bangs on the door” from the PSP not long after, he wrote in a statement shared on X. Despite an ongoing investigation, state police said the fire — which “caused a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence” — was an “act of arson.”

“The Governor and his family were present in a different part of the residence. They were evacuated safely and were not injured,” the PSP said in its statement.

Capitol Police assisted the PSP in evacuating the governor and his family, while the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire put out the fire, Shapiro said on X. “Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” he wrote.

“Every day, we stand with the law enforcement and first responders who run towards danger to protect our communities,” the governor added. “Last night, they did so for our family — and Lori and I are eternally grateful to them for keeping us safe.”

Later on April 13, the Pennsylvania State Police announced in a press conference that they had arrested and charged a Harrisburg man, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, in connection with the incident.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Pennsylvania State Police for comment.

Shapiro and his wife, Lori Shapiro, married in 1997 and share four children: Sophia, Jonah, Max and Reuben. It is unclear how many of their children were in the home during the fire.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.    

The multi-agency investigation into the arson incident is being spearheaded by Troop H of the PSP.

The fire broke out on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover, hours after Shapiro shared a look at his family’s Seder table on social media.

According to the Associated Press, the south side of the governor’s home was damaged by the fire, with a large entertainment room impacted. Police remained on the scene during the early afternoon on April 13.

Photos shared on Facebook by the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire Station #2 show the extent of the damage, as black smoke could be seen exiting the home while firefighters entered.

Shapiro, a Democrat, was sworn in as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania in January 2023. He previously served as attorney general from 2017 to 2023, chair of the board of commissioners in Montgomery County from 2011 to 2017 and state representative from 2005 to 2011, per the state’s website.